Intermediate Unit Leases Closed Levittown School For Special Education Programs

Students entering the Pearl S. Buck building on Sept. 5, the first day of classes. Credit: Bucks IU

The halls of the former Pearl S. Buck Elementary School are filled with activity once again. It comes just months after the Neshaminy School District closed the building.

The Bucks County Intermediate Unit (Bucks County IU) has moved in and using the classrooms for a suite of special education programs.

The building, which spans 63,500 square feet on Top Road in Middletown Township’s Levittown section, stood empty after students were relocated to the new Core Creek Elementary School in January.

The Pearl S. Buck building in Middletown Township. Credit: Bucks IU

The Bucks County IU and the Neshaminy School Board struck a deal earlier this year – a five-year lease costing just over $2.2 million.

As part of the agreement, the Bucks County IU committed to substantial improvements, including $1.15 million for building upgrades. The work includes safety and security enhancements, fixing fencing, upgrading technology, installing security cameras, and improving stairwells, according to a contract reviewed by LevittownNow.com.

The facility now hosts 18 Bucks County IU special education classrooms for students from kindergarten through eighth grade.

The classes are specifically designed to accommodate children requiring emotional or autistic supports, Bucks IU officials said.

Classes kicked off last month and brought the return of traffic to the building after an uncertain future when the school closing was announced.

The building is led by Principal Dr. Janean Ciancia and Assistant Principal Mark McCloskey.

“The opening of the Bucks IU at Pearl S. Buck provides a meaningful opportunity to meet the requests of our member districts,” said Dr. Lenny Greaney, the Bucks County IU’s assistant to the executive director. “An educational environment such as this allows our highly skilled and trained staff to meet the complex and individualized needs of students enrolled at the school.”

Last year, the Neshaminy School Board said Pearl S. Buck Elementary School was closing due to more than $24 million in improvements that would be needed to keep it functioning as a full elementary school.

Pearl Buck Elementary School in Middletown Township. Credit: Neshaminy School District

The two-story building was completed in 1968 and has not received any major overhauls since. It once had more than 680 students spread across the 27 classrooms.

For the Bucks IU’s programs in the building, students enter through referrals from their home school districts, with instruction tailored to each child’s needs that are outlined in their Individualized Education Program (IEP). The curriculum is also aligned with the students’ general educational requirements.

Officials said the school is organized into three distinct “pods” of classrooms, alongside specialized learning areas and staff workspaces.

Jen Schmidt, the Bucks County IU’s program director for school-age programs, pointed to the supportive atmosphere in the building.

“The Bucks IU at Pearl S. Buck provides a supportive environment with individualized instruction to meet the academic, behavioral, sensory, and social-emotional needs of each student while supporting their dignity and independence,” she said.

This is not the first time the Bucks County IU has stepped in to lease a shuttered Neshaminy property. The organization currently runs programs out of the former Lower Southampton Elementary School and Samuel Everitt Elementary School in Levittown.

Samuel Everitt Elementary School in 2013. Credit: Tom Sofield/LevittownNow.com

The Everitt site provides specialized programs for students from ninth grade through age 22. It’s programs mirror traditional school structures.

Dr. Mark Hoffman, Bucks County IU Executive Director, noted that the expansion is central to the organization’s mission.

“Expanding our programming in Bucks County aligns with the mission of the Bucks IU to support the needs of all learners, their families, school districts, and our community,” Hoffman said. “As the needs of our stakeholders change, the Bucks IU will continue to evolve and grow.”

The Bucks County IU serves the county’s school districts and many private schools. The organization boasts serving more than 96,000 students and 9,000 teachers.

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