Future Of 3 Central Bucks Schools On Town Hall Meeting Agenda

DOYLESTOWN, PA - The future of Doyle, Kutz and Linden elementary schools will again be on the agenda on Thursday at the second of three town hall meetings.

The meeting is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. at Central Bucks East High School, 2804 Holicong Road in Buckingham.

The district is considering two options for the three schools - renovate all three schools or combining Doyle and Linden into a new school on Doyle’s current site and renovating Kutz, including the replacement of the building’s 1930s section with new construction.

At the February Finance and Operations Committee Meeting, the district and committee removed from the table the option of combining Doyle, Kutz, and Linden into a single school. The decision is now between renovating Doyle, Kutz, and Linden or combining Doyle and Linden into a new school and renovating Kutz.

Under the new school option, Linden would be closed and students would be moved to the new school at Doyle. Residents have opposed the option, not wanting to lose their neighborhood school.

At the meeting, district administrators are expected to review the financial impacts of both options and field questions from the public. Information from the three town halls will be compiled and presented to the school board, which is expected to make a decision in May.

For several months, the district has been engaged in conversations to “Update the 8” - the district’s eight elementary schools in need of significant improvements.

In December, the school board took the first step - authorizing the administration to move forward with plans to renovate five elementary schools: Barclay, Buckingham, Gayman, Titus and Warwick. The board, however, delayed its decision on Doyle, Kutz, and Linden to give it more time to study the options and to hear from the community during the three town hall meeting.

The first town hall meeting was held Jan. 30 at CB West and was attended by about 150 people. During the hour-and-a-half session, Superintendent Steven M. Yanni and Chief Operating Officer Tara Houser outlined the options, the related costs and considerations and fielded questions submitted by the audience.

The district has added most of the questions, and others, to an FAQ webpage. The video of the Jan. 30 town hall is also available.

The third town hall meeting is scheduled for Thursday, March 27 at CB South High School (1100 Folly Road, Warrington).

Comments and questions will be collected before, during and after the meetings. For additional information, visit the "Update the 8" project webpage.