Board interviews six candidates for Hartland Consolidated Schools seat; appointment vote set for July 1

The Hartland Consolidated Schools Board of Education held public interviews for six applicants to a vacant board seat during a June 23 special meeting and set a special meeting for a vote on the appointment for 6:30 p.m. July 1 in the district boardroom.

Board members said the panel would ask the same one-to-two questions of each applicant and that all candidates must confirm residency in the district and be registered voters before their interviews. "Each board member will ask the candidates 1 to 2 questions," Board member Mister Keller said as the panel opened the session. Candidates were escorted to a conference room between interviews, and the board said a vote to appoint will occur at the July 1 special meeting.

The candidates who appeared were Mister Patilla; Mister Horst; Miss Custodio; Dr. Austin; Mister Curtis; and Mister Wallace. Each confirmed they live in the Hartland school district and are registered voters when asked before their interviews. Several candidates emphasized academic quality, staff retention and student opportunities as top priorities for the board.

Mister Patilla, who described himself as an involved parent with children who have attended district schools, said the board should represent "all students" and repeatedly stressed maintaining academic excellence. On a board decision he disagreed with, Patilla said he would have postponed a recent supplemental allocation for the sheriff's road patrol and tried to negotiate, adding, "I would have voted no," to preserve funds for student services.

Mister Horst, who told the board he served as treasurer for the high-school Band Boosters for eight years and described a professional background in laboratory design and operations, said he wants to bring a data-driven, collaborative approach to the board. Horst invoked the phrase "to whom much is given, much is expected" when explaining his motivation to give back to the district.

Miss Custodio described longstanding volunteer work — from elementary-level activities through high-school booster service — and said she would prioritize safety, staff retention and expanding student opportunities, including specialized programs such as robotics and aviation.

Dr. Austin, a Hartland graduate and community-college professor who said she serves on the Livingston County Health Department advisory committee, recounted taking minority positions during the COVID period and said those experiences shaped her school-policy views. At the meeting she criticized earlier district pandemic policies and their public-health incentives; those views were presented as her opinions and were attributed directly to her in the interviews.

Mister Curtis, a local business owner who has employed many district graduates, said he applied to "give back" and emphasized quality education, athletics and after-school programs as the board's priorities. Mister Wallace, who is traveling with his family while his wife is on leave from district teaching duties, described the board role as a liaison between community and district and stressed communication, visibility and curriculum continuity.

Routine meeting business earlier in the session included two procedural votes: the board approved the meeting agenda for June 23 and approved the minutes of the board's June 16 regular meeting. Both motions were made by Board member Mister Keller and supported by Board member Mister Campbell; the roll call included affirmative responses from Mister Scott, Mister Gogolevski, Mister Keller, Mister Campbell and one additional board member whose name was not specified in the transcript. The motions were recorded as approved.

Board members closed the public interviews by reminding the audience that a special meeting to vote on the appointment is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 1 in the boardroom; the district's organizational meeting is scheduled for July 21 at 6:30 p.m. The board did not take an appointment vote at the June 23 session.