Centennial School District board approves assistant director of student services hire after public concern

The Centennial School District Board of School Directors voted 6-2 on Sept. 9, 2025, to authorize the employment of an assistant director of student services after public comment raised questions about the candidate’s background.

During the public-comment portion of the board meeting, Nicole Lynch, who identified herself as a parent and resident of Upper Southampton, urged the board to reconsider the hire and to discuss the district’s hiring process in public. “Bringing her into Centennial will only serve to further erode any trust that you still have left with this community,” Lynch said, referring to a candidate she said had been “recently implicated in the abuse allegations at Central Bucks School District.”

The comment prompted board members to pull item 6.2d (authorization to employ the assistant director of student services) from the consent agenda and to conduct a separate roll-call vote. The roll call recorded these votes: Tony Sadowski — yes; Mrs. Brancato — yes; Mrs. Crosson — no; Mr. Hartline — yes; Dr. McGuire — yes; Jane Lynch — no; Mr. Ginhart — yes; Mr. Martin — yes. The motion passed 6-2.

Board members did not publicly identify the candidate by name during the meeting, and no board member provided a detailed rebuttal of the allegations raised in public comment on the record at that time. The board chair granted the requested roll-call vote after community members sent emails asking for it.

The authorization was one item within a larger consent package the board approved at the meeting. With the exception of the assistant director position, the board approved the remainder of the consent items by voice vote earlier in the meeting, 8-0. Those consent items included personnel actions (terminations, retirements, resignations, leaves, changes of status, stipends, tenure awards and co-curricular assignments), contract renewals and service agreements described in the agenda.

Also on the agenda, the board approved changes to the assistant superintendent job description and unanimously appointed Dr. Michael Zakon as assistant superintendent for a term beginning no later than Nov. 6, 2025 and ending June 30, 2030. Board members amended the contract language on the record to ensure the title “Doctor” appeared consistently in the second signature line; that amendment passed by voice vote and the subsequent appointment passed 8-0.

The meeting included several contract and service approvals (approved as part of the consent agenda except where noted): a BoardDocs Pro renewal with a district cost not to exceed $18,000; a special-education curriculum renewal for Everway (formerly News-2-U) with a district cost not to exceed $17,934.85; related-service renewals for Pennsylvania School for the Deaf and pediatric therapeutic services; an addendum for speech-language pathology assistant services from Allstel’s Rehabilitation Services for 2025–28; a special-education placement agreement with High Road School at Bucks County for three students at a projected total of $145,497.60; and a settlement agreement enabling a student (identified in the agenda as student 188) to attend LifeWorks School with district costs for 2025–26 (tuition and parent attorney fees) reported as $57,664. The board also approved a memorandum of understanding with Bucks County Intermediate Unit No. 22 for use of facilities in the event of an evacuation.

Board member Mr. Martin asked for follow-up on several leaves-of-absence items, noting many of the leaves on the list extended into June and August 2026 and that paid-day amounts varied among employees. Superintendent Dr. Lukubal said he would provide details to the board in a future update about what determines leave length and paid-day calculation. The board approved the leaves list by voice vote, 8-0.

The meeting featured a student report from Alexis Cawley, a senior at William Tennant High School and the building’s student government president, who described fall sports results, a new digital hall-pass system called SmartPass, parent engagement through “Panther Partners,” Chromebook distributions, and upcoming events including Back-to-School Night and homecoming activities.

No formal motion to rescind or delay the assistant director authorization was made during the meeting; board members who voted in the minority did not propose a substitute action on the record. The board did not furnish additional public detail about the candidate’s vetting or the personnel files beyond indicating that certain personnel matters had been the subject of a prior executive session.

The superintendent and board agreed to provide more information about human-resources procedures and leave policies in future board communications. The board’s next regular meeting is scheduled for Sept. 30, 2025, with committee-of-the-whole meetings also posted on the district calendar.