Betty Santoro: Restore accountability and trust to CBSD
And so it goes as all taxpayers in the Central Bucks community recently received their school tax bill for the new fiscal year. Many are shocked, surprised, and quite frankly, scratching their head “why?” This new fiscal year ushers in an increase of 5.95% following last year’s increase of 5.3%. That’s two consecutive years of exceeding the Act 1 index which is calculated by the Pennsylvania Department of Education. This year’s Act I index is 4.1%. CBSD applied for, and was granted, an exception due to rising special education costs, which makes sense.
But it’s more than that. The current School Board majority, CBSD Neighbors United, couched their explanation of these rising taxes in very ambiguous terms: teacher salaries and benefits, full-day kindergarten, grade realignment, and renovation of eight elementary schools at the same time. That’s right: renovating eight elementary schools at the same time, which has been put on “hold” after spending nearly $900,000 in planning for the renovations. What I see and hear is poor planning by the Neighbors United majority School Board who are floundering at best to steer this ship. Since 2023, the Neighbors United are on their fourth superintendent and third solicitor. Why? Poor decision making, which makes perfect sense since one-third of the majority school directors are frequently absent from board meetings.
After attending many full board meetings and committee meetings, I never hear any focus on academics from the members. They rarely ask questions about student performance and are content with the status quo. In recent years, Central Bucks School District dropped from No. 17 to No. 40 among the best school districts in Pennsylvania, according to Niche. The percent of students who are proficient in reading is 70% and those who are proficient in mathematics are 53%. Central Bucks School District was ranked No. 1 in Bucks County and now ranks as No. 3 in the county. We can and must do better.
As a CBSD school director, I promise to refocus our energies on restoring academic excellence to every classroom by ensuring our students have the proper tools and resources to learn. I will ensure all teachers and staff are well equipped with the resources, support, and professional development to do their job well. Let’s take the politics out of our schools and lead with transparency and accountability. I promise not to be a “rubber stamp” but to ask the tough questions, look for creative and innovative ways to reduce spending, and lead with actions, not just words.
Please make a plan to vote on November 4 to bring back strong leadership, accountability, and trust to CBSD!
Betty Santoro is a Republican School Board candidate for Central Bucks School District Region Three, running with the Community Advocates for Responsible Education (CARE) slate.
