Burgess Settlement, Grade Realignment On Central Bucks Agenda

DOYLESTOWN, PA ? The Central Bucks School Board will take action on three major agenda items when it meets on Tuesday, March 12 beginning at 7 p.m. at the district offices on Welden Drive. The meeting will also be live-streamed on the district's website.

Included on the board's agenda is the adoption of a revised school calendar for 2023-24 and a new calendar for 2024-25; a settlement agreement with teacher Andrew Burgess; and a motion to move forward with a realignment of the district's grade structure for the 2026-27 school year.

Burgess Settlement

Appearing on the agenda under "other board action" is a settlement agreement with teacher Andrew Burgess who sued the district after being reassigned and then suspended for what he called retaliation for advocating for the LGBTQ community.

"The board, after consideration of all factors, has determined that it is in the best interests of the school district to approve the settlement agreement," reads the agreement attached to the board's agenda. It provides no additional details.

School Calendar

The board will consider a revised school calendar that forgives two snow days and officially sets graduation for June 13 and the last day of school as June 14. The revised calendar also keeps spring break and Easter Monday intact and does not add any snow makeup days to the end of the school year.

Rather than tacking them on to the end of the year or taking Easter Monday or part of spring break, the school district is taking advantage of House Bill 1507 passed by the legislature in December to forgive the snow days. The legislation gives school districts more flexibility in meeting their school-year obligations.

Specifically, the legislation allows school districts to complete the school year with less than 180 days provided they meet the minimum 900 hours of instructional hours at the elementary level and 990 hours at the secondary level.

According to acting superintendent Dr. James Scanlon, Central Bucks students will have more than enough hours to meet the requirements of the law with elementary hours at 966 (PDE requires 900), middle school hours totaling 1049 (PDE requires 990) and high school hours totaling 1017 (PDE requires 990).

Realignment of Grades

The school board on Tuesday will also consider two motions regarding plans to realign the district's grade structure and to institute full-day kindergarten.

Under the first motion, appearing on the agenda under the "business department," the board will consider approving an architectural services/interior renovations contract with KCBA Architects in preparation for the grade realignment.

Under the contract, KCBA would look at the three high schools and come up with ways to reconfigure the interior layouts to establish additional learning spaces and add student capacity.

In addition, under new business, the board will consider a resolution to realign the school district's grade alignment effective with the 2026-27 school year and the implementation of full-day kindergarten, pending final approval by the state Department of Education.

The plan would realign the district's grade configuration to a K-5, 6-8, and 9-12 configuration; implement full-day kindergarten in all schools in fall 2026; establish a full-day kindergarten pilot for the 2025-26 school year; and prepare a timeline of tasks to be implemented before fall, 2026.