The Keystone Central School District Board of Directors interviewed two candidates for the Region 3 vacancy and deferred making an appointment until a Nov. 6 special meeting, board members said during an Oct. meeting to consider the applicants.

Manuel Rodriguez introduced himself as "a father of 2" with children who attend the district and described volunteer work with his church and the Pregnancy Resource Clinic in Lock Haven. Rodriguez said he works at a Department of Corrections boot camp that is closing and that he would remain in the area if reassigned. "I'm bilingual," he told the board, adding that increased outreach to Hispanic families could help boost engagement in Region 3 (Blanchard and Beech Creek areas).

Kimberly (Kim) Johnson, who said she has worked at Lock Haven University for 24 years and lives in Beech Creek, told the board she brings extensive experience in student advising, committee work and program-building. "I bring experience in leadership, in policy, and collaboration," Johnson said, citing past work on grants and campus programs as relevant to board service. She told the board she would prioritize listening, transparent deliberation and stewardship of district funds.

Board members asked both applicants about handling disagreement, community engagement and balancing educational quality with taxpayers' budgets. Rodriguez said he would record individual complaints and bring them to the board for follow-up; Johnson described a stepwise approach to complaints and a preference for resolving issues through established channels before escalating.

Members also discussed how the board should weigh candidate scoring sheets versus an individual roll-call vote. A board member cited the School Code and the Sunshine Act and reminded colleagues that the remaining board must "by a majority vote" fill a vacancy within 30 days of its occurrence. Because of the public-notice rules and members’ preference to deliberate further, the board agreed to postpone the appointment decision to a special meeting on Nov. 6. Several members said the formal swearing-in could occur at a later voting meeting, which was mentioned as Nov. 13.

The board did not take a formal vote to appoint a candidate at the interview session. Instead, members said they would review their individual scores and reconvene for the publicly noticed special meeting. Several board members requested that district policy and future hire procedures be clarified so candidates receive consistent questions in future interviews.

The board confirmed a special meeting on Nov. 6 to consider the appointment and noted an executive session scheduled that day at 5:30 p.m. Meeting adjourned after the scheduling discussion.