Amid tax hikes and controversy, Central Bucks campaign kicks off

Last August, economists at Germany’s Ifo Institute published a study in the Journal of Public Economics telling voting taxpayers something they probably knew: Politicians across the globe resist raising taxes just before elections. 

Usually. 

Fast-forward nine months and Democrats in Central Bucks School District are embarking on a school-board campaign just as the district’s Democrat-run board advertises a new budget that would increase taxes 5.9 percent.

A home valued at $635,000 would pay about $328 more per year as a result of the plan, whose advertisement passed unanimously last week and which is scheduled for a final vote on June 18. It would come on the heels of the current year’s 5.3-percent real-estate-tax hike, part of the first budget Democrats passed since taking the board majority.

Region-Three member Daniel Kimicata, an architect, is the only incumbent running. On Tuesday, his fellow Democrats nominated him to seek a new four-year term alongside education grant-writer Katrina Filiatrault. Temple University administrator David Comalli is running as a Democrat for a two-year term in that region, which includes Chalfont Borough as well as parts of New Britain and Warrington. 

Republicans opposing Kimicata and Filiatrault are retired school administrator Betty Santoro and Temple University business professor Roman Szewczuk. Financial adviser Brenda Bagonis is running against Comalli. 

In Region Two (Buckingham, Doylestown, New Britain and Warwick), Democratic business owner and former social-studies teacher Amanda O’Connor seeks a four-year term. She’ll face Republican law-enforcement officer Andrew Miller who said he and his running mates all disfavor the looming tax increase. 

Earlier this year, the commonwealth permitted the district to surpass the state’s school-tax-hike limit of four percent because of increased special-education costs, preventing a referendum. Acting Superintendent Charles Malone also cited rising employee-salary obligations based on approved contracts as justification for the size of the proposed tax increase and $432.4 million spending plan. 

“CB strives to offer an exceptional educational experience while maintaining one of the lowest tax rates in Bucks County,” he said at a May 15 school-board meeting.  

Miller said the district has let its focus drift from providing quality education and would be better served to refocus rather than take more money from taxpayers. 

“Our slate is of one mind that a tax increase in the neighborhood of 5.5 percent would place an added burden on our families, many of whom are already feeling the effects of inflation and rising costs,” he told The Independence. “Before asking taxpayers to shoulder more, the district needs to take a hard look at spending priorities, ensure dollars are going directly to improving academic outcomes, and cut back on unnecessary or non-classroom expenses.”

The district, whose tax rate is now $138.32 per $1,000 of assessed property value, imposed no increases from 2015 through 2021. A Republican-run school board imposed three smaller tax increases over three years, the largest being 2.75 percent.

But even as taxes climb, outcomes slide. The education-review site Niche most recently dropped CBSD’s countywide ranking among school districts from one to three. Statewide, the district dropped from seventeen to 40. It received mediocre ratings on resources and facilities as well as diversity. 

Ed Sheppard, the Doylestown Republicans’ communications chair, attributes those indices to the Democrats’ governance both in terms of scholastic rigor and fiscal management.

“They changed the curriculum very quickly,” he said. “From a budgetary perspective, they were spending less on teachers’ salary but the budget was going up. They were spending more on administrators and programs that had nothing to do with education. They were essentially more focused, I believe, on cultural issues than educational issues.”

The current board’s critics have also raised questions about school safety, particularly regarding the allegations that special-needs children, including Republican School Director Jim Pepper’s son, were abused. Administrators including district Superintendent Steven Yanni, whose stewardship of the matter was roundly questioned, went on administrative leave earlier this month. 

Miller said school directors should have placed all employees named in the accusations on leave before an investigation concludes. He insisted any faculty or staff not current with public training requirements should be directed to complete it immediately, with compliance strictly enforced.

“As someone with a law-enforcement background, I believe the board’s handling of this situation has lacked the immediate, transparent response the community deserves,” he said. “In any serious allegation, especially those involving vulnerable populations — the priority should always be to protect students and staff while ensuring a fair and thorough investigation.”

CBSD Neighbors United, the Democratic candidates’ political action committee, did not return a request for comment. 

Sex-discrimination suit decided and appealed

The district had already been enveloped in controversy for years due to two lawsuits from CBSD English teachers Rebecca Cartee-Haring and Dawn Marinello, both of whom alleged sex-based salary discrimination. Their attorney Edward Mazurek told a federal court that Cartee-Haring (who no longer teaches at CBSD) and Marinello respectively deserved $345,058.80 and $445,048 in back pay. 

Jurors awarded both just over $80,000. All members of the school board except for Cartee-Haring’s husband Rick Haring voted to appeal the decision, he being absent.

“The district and board maintain that employee compensation was and is set lawfully and fairly, based on legitimate, non-discriminatory factors,” Malone said. “At the same time, the district is committed to continuous improvement and has refined procedures to provide greater clarity for staff and administrators.”

Miller blamed the school board for poor leadership, which he said led to the loss.

“That’s not only a distraction from our focus on students, but it also puts financial strain on the district and our taxpayers,” he said.

And contention isn’t likely to cool anytime soon, as other arguments loom over proposals to renovate several elementary schools. CBSD bears its share of concerns. 

“At the end of the day, these issues all point to the same thing,” Miller said. “Our community deserves better leadership. The pattern of division, poor decision-making, costly mistakes, and a lack of transparency has taken our district off course — academically, financially, and in terms of trust.”

Bradley Vasoli is the senior editor of The Independence.