diff --git a/include/scoreboard.h b/include/scoreboard.h
index 57cf3df..b714a8c 100644
--- a/include/scoreboard.h
+++ b/include/scoreboard.h
@@ -143,7 +143,9 @@ struct process_score {
     apr_uint32_t lingering_close;   /* async connections in lingering close */
     apr_uint32_t keep_alive;        /* async connections in keep alive */
     apr_uint32_t suspended;         /* connections suspended by some module */
-    int bucket;             /* Listener bucket used by this child */
+    int bucket;  /* Listener bucket used by this child; this field is DEPRECATED
+                  * and no longer updated by the MPMs (i.e. always zero).
+                  */
 };
 
 /* Scoreboard is now in 'local' memory, since it isn't updated once created,
diff --git a/server/mpm/event/event.c b/server/mpm/event/event.c
index f07b757..16e39be 100644
--- a/server/mpm/event/event.c
+++ b/server/mpm/event/event.c
@@ -2670,7 +2670,6 @@ static int make_child(server_rec * s, int slot, int bucket)
 
     ap_scoreboard_image->parent[slot].quiescing = 0;
     ap_scoreboard_image->parent[slot].not_accepting = 0;
-    ap_scoreboard_image->parent[slot].bucket = bucket;
     event_note_child_started(slot, pid);
     active_daemons++;
     retained->total_daemons++;
@@ -2709,6 +2708,7 @@ static void perform_idle_server_maintenance(int child_bucket, int num_buckets)
          * that threads_per_child is always > 0 */
         int status = SERVER_DEAD;
         int child_threads_active = 0;
+        int bucket = i % num_buckets;
 
         if (i >= retained->max_daemons_limit &&
             free_length == retained->idle_spawn_rate[child_bucket]) {
@@ -2732,7 +2732,7 @@ static void perform_idle_server_maintenance(int child_bucket, int num_buckets)
                  */
                 if (status <= SERVER_READY && !ps->quiescing && !ps->not_accepting
                     && ps->generation == retained->mpm->my_generation
-                    && ps->bucket == child_bucket)
+                    && bucket == child_bucket)
                 {
                     ++idle_thread_count;
                 }
@@ -2743,7 +2743,9 @@ static void perform_idle_server_maintenance(int child_bucket, int num_buckets)
             last_non_dead = i;
         }
         active_thread_count += child_threads_active;
-        if (!ps->pid && free_length < retained->idle_spawn_rate[child_bucket])
+        if (!ps->pid
+                && bucket == child_bucket
+                && free_length < retained->idle_spawn_rate[child_bucket])
             free_slots[free_length++] = i;
         else if (child_threads_active == threads_per_child)
             had_healthy_child = 1;
@@ -2926,13 +2928,14 @@ static void server_main_loop(int remaining_children_to_start, int num_buckets)
                 retained->total_daemons--;
                 if (processed_status == APEXIT_CHILDSICK) {
                     /* resource shortage, minimize the fork rate */
-                    retained->idle_spawn_rate[ps->bucket] = 1;
+                    retained->idle_spawn_rate[child_slot % num_buckets] = 1;
                 }
                 else if (remaining_children_to_start) {
                     /* we're still doing a 1-for-1 replacement of dead
                      * children with new children
                      */
-                    make_child(ap_server_conf, child_slot, ps->bucket);
+                    make_child(ap_server_conf, child_slot,
+                               child_slot % num_buckets);
                     --remaining_children_to_start;
                 }
             }
diff --git a/server/mpm/prefork/prefork.c b/server/mpm/prefork/prefork.c
index 3fb3284..4517f88 100644
--- a/server/mpm/prefork/prefork.c
+++ b/server/mpm/prefork/prefork.c
@@ -637,8 +637,9 @@ static void child_main(int child_num_arg, int child_bucket)
 }
 
 
-static int make_child(server_rec *s, int slot, int bucket)
+static int make_child(server_rec *s, int slot)
 {
+    int bucket = slot % retained->mpm->num_buckets;
     int pid;
 
     if (slot + 1 > retained->max_daemons_limit) {
@@ -716,7 +717,6 @@ static int make_child(server_rec *s, int slot, int bucket)
         child_main(slot, bucket);
     }
 
-    ap_scoreboard_image->parent[slot].bucket = bucket;
     prefork_note_child_started(slot, pid);
 
     return 0;
@@ -732,7 +732,7 @@ static void startup_children(int number_to_start)
         if (ap_scoreboard_image->servers[i][0].status != SERVER_DEAD) {
             continue;
         }
-        if (make_child(ap_server_conf, i, i % retained->mpm->num_buckets) < 0) {
+        if (make_child(ap_server_conf, i) < 0) {
             break;
         }
         --number_to_start;
@@ -741,8 +741,6 @@ static void startup_children(int number_to_start)
 
 static void perform_idle_server_maintenance(apr_pool_t *p)
 {
-    static int bucket_make_child_record = -1;
-    static int bucket_kill_child_record = -1;
     int i;
     int idle_count;
     worker_score *ws;
@@ -789,6 +787,7 @@ static void perform_idle_server_maintenance(apr_pool_t *p)
     }
     retained->max_daemons_limit = last_non_dead + 1;
     if (idle_count > ap_daemons_max_free) {
+        static int bucket_kill_child_record = -1;
         /* kill off one child... we use the pod because that'll cause it to
          * shut down gracefully, in case it happened to pick up a request
          * while we were counting
@@ -819,10 +818,7 @@ static void perform_idle_server_maintenance(apr_pool_t *p)
                     idle_count, total_non_dead);
             }
             for (i = 0; i < free_length; ++i) {
-                bucket_make_child_record++;
-                bucket_make_child_record %= retained->mpm->num_buckets;
-                make_child(ap_server_conf, free_slots[i],
-                           bucket_make_child_record);
+                make_child(ap_server_conf, free_slots[i]);
             }
             /* the next time around we want to spawn twice as many if this
              * wasn't good enough, but not if we've just done a graceful
@@ -867,7 +863,7 @@ static int prefork_run(apr_pool_t *_pconf, apr_pool_t *plog, server_rec *s)
 
     if (one_process) {
         AP_MONCONTROL(1);
-        make_child(ap_server_conf, 0, 0);
+        make_child(ap_server_conf, 0);
         /* NOTREACHED */
         ap_assert(0);
         return !OK;
@@ -976,8 +972,7 @@ static int prefork_run(apr_pool_t *_pconf, apr_pool_t *plog, server_rec *s)
                     /* we're still doing a 1-for-1 replacement of dead
                      * children with new children
                      */
-                    make_child(ap_server_conf, child_slot,
-                               ap_get_scoreboard_process(child_slot)->bucket);
+                    make_child(ap_server_conf, child_slot);
                     --remaining_children_to_start;
                 }
 #if APR_HAS_OTHER_CHILD
diff --git a/server/mpm/worker/worker.c b/server/mpm/worker/worker.c
index 7804efc..79b2769 100644
--- a/server/mpm/worker/worker.c
+++ b/server/mpm/worker/worker.c
@@ -1311,7 +1311,6 @@ static int make_child(server_rec *s, int slot, int bucket)
         worker_note_child_lost_slot(slot, pid);
     }
     ap_scoreboard_image->parent[slot].quiescing = 0;
-    ap_scoreboard_image->parent[slot].bucket = bucket;
     worker_note_child_started(slot, pid);
     return 0;
 }
@@ -1360,6 +1359,7 @@ static void perform_idle_server_maintenance(int child_bucket, int num_buckets)
         int any_dead_threads = 0;
         int all_dead_threads = 1;
         int child_threads_active = 0;
+        int bucket = i % num_buckets;
 
         if (i >= retained->max_daemons_limit &&
             totally_free_length == retained->idle_spawn_rate[child_bucket]) {
@@ -1392,7 +1392,7 @@ static void perform_idle_server_maintenance(int child_bucket, int num_buckets)
                 if (status <= SERVER_READY &&
                         !ps->quiescing &&
                         ps->generation == retained->mpm->my_generation &&
-                        ps->bucket == child_bucket) {
+                        bucket == child_bucket) {
                     ++idle_thread_count;
                 }
                 if (status >= SERVER_READY && status < SERVER_GRACEFUL) {
@@ -1402,6 +1402,7 @@ static void perform_idle_server_maintenance(int child_bucket, int num_buckets)
         }
         active_thread_count += child_threads_active;
         if (any_dead_threads
+                && bucket == child_bucket
                 && totally_free_length < retained->idle_spawn_rate[child_bucket]
                 && free_length < MAX_SPAWN_RATE / num_buckets
                 && (!ps->pid               /* no process in the slot */
@@ -1587,14 +1588,15 @@ static void server_main_loop(int remaining_children_to_start, int num_buckets)
                 ps->quiescing = 0;
                 if (processed_status == APEXIT_CHILDSICK) {
                     /* resource shortage, minimize the fork rate */
-                    retained->idle_spawn_rate[ps->bucket] = 1;
+                    retained->idle_spawn_rate[child_slot % num_buckets] = 1;
                 }
                 else if (remaining_children_to_start
                     && child_slot < ap_daemons_limit) {
                     /* we're still doing a 1-for-1 replacement of dead
                      * children with new children
                      */
-                    make_child(ap_server_conf, child_slot, ps->bucket);
+                    make_child(ap_server_conf, child_slot,
+                               child_slot % num_buckets);
                     --remaining_children_to_start;
                 }
             }