A superintendent is the top executive in the school district, and Dr. Lucabaugh has recently taken over this position for the Central Bucks School District.

Dr. Lucabaugh, CBSD’s new superintendent, has been working in education for 26 years. Previously, he was the principal of CB East as a house principal for two years. He also worked as an assistant principal at Tohickon Middle School and Keith Valley Middle School in Hatboro-Horsham School District.

We all know being a superintendent is an important job. But what exactly do they do? Dr. Lucabaugh commented on what he does day to day.

“Days never look the same,” said Dr. Lucabaugh.

He is in constant meetings with all different divisions of the school district, making sure “all moving parts are working in unison.”

There are many important decisions to make every day being the superintendent. Dr. Lucabaugh gives insight on how he handles the pressure of his job.

“By not doing it alone,” he says.

He stresses the importance of teamwork, mentioning his administrative assistant, Mrs. Radcliff, as a major help in keeping everything together. Some other skills that help him stay on top of all of his responsibilities are being organized as well as knowing what needs to be done.

There will always be conflict within the community. Because of COVID-19, reopening schools and mask mandates have caused a bit of division among parents and other members of the district and community.

“We want to be safe; we want to keep our school open.” Dr. Lucabaugh said, “We want our students to have a really quality experience and we want them to have the opportunity to come to school and enjoy each other and enjoy extracurriculars and classes and just feel normal and cared for and valued.”

COVID-19 has presented a unique challenge, but beyond it, there are still other challenges the district must face. For students, Dr. Lucabaugh is focused on giving kids the opportunity to have real world experiences so they can construct a plan for post high school education.

“We want to do more to personalize education so students can have more access to real world experiences,” he says.

In addition to personalizing education for the students, Dr. Lucabaugh says that making people feel valued and heard is what matters. He wants to continue supporting the district’s students, teachers, and staff. “School is about improvement,” he said.

For Dr. Lucabaugh, inspiration comes through many forms. The new superintendent mentioned a professor in graduate school who has mentored him and provided support and help whenever he needed.

“He gives me advice…whenever I get off path he’s somebody I can go to,” Dr. Lucabaugh said.

He also mentioned using historical figures that led the way in difficult times as inspiration for predicaments. He shared how he met Nelson Mandela’s personal bodyguard and was able to learn a lot about him as a leader and how he conducted himself.

“He spoke to one of our classes in graduate school and he shared so many incredible things about how [Nelson Mandela] listened to people and some of the techniques that he used.”

Drawing from personal mentors and historical figures enhances Dr. Lucabaugh’s ability to navigate the uncharted waters of administration.

As Dr. Lucabaugh talks about his biggest challenges, and he makes one point very clear: “be aware of your blind spots…to know what you don’t know,” he says.

Dr. Lucabaugh says, is important when taking care of responsibility. He once again stresses the importance of teamwork, comparing his job and that of the districts to being on a white-water raft as “everyone has to grab a paddle.”

He also shares that he learned that sometimes the answer to a problem comes from the least likely source, thus the importance of considering everyone’s thoughts and ideas.

“Don’t make any decision is isolation,” he advises.

Dr. Lucabaugh advises this year’s seniors to keep calm in the face of uncertainty.

“It’s ok to not know what you want to do…make the most of high school…use it as an opportunity to experience as many things as you can, try things, challenge yourself, and try to grow as much as you can as a human being.”

Dr. Lucabaugh says he admires the people in the community of this school district.

“We have tremendous students and teachers and support staff…I’m just proud of this community,” he says.