The Central Bucks school board voted Tuesday to give its superintendent a nearly $700,000 payout, one of the Republican-controlled board’s final controversial acts before Democrats take over next month.

The separation agreement for Abram Lucabaugh — who wasn’t present during Tuesday’s meeting — drew outrage from community members, who called it “stealing” and “corruption.” The district’s chief financial officer said she didn’t yet know how the payout would affect the budget, because it was added to the board’s agenda just Monday night.

Others questioned whether it was even legal: Pennsylvania school code prohibits severance payouts to superintendents that exceed one year’s worth of salary and benefits, if the superintendent leaves two years or more before the end of the contract. Lucabaugh was granted a new five-year contract — with a 40% raise — just this summer.

The district’s solicitor, Jeffrey Garton, said Tuesday he wasn’t involved in drafting the agreement and hadn’t analyzed it to determine what was classified as “severance,” versus other payments to Lucabaugh. (Part of the agreement pays Lucabaugh $265,000 for 219 unused accumulated sick days.)