Hartland administration to begin community outreach for potential future bond; no spending commitment made

Superintendent Chuck Hughes told the board Aug. 11 he wants to begin community conversations to assemble a wish list of possible projects for a future school bond, including roofs, HVAC, parking lots and other capital priorities. Hughes emphasized these conversations are preliminary and do not commit the board or district to spending.

Hughes said Hartland learned from its 2020 bond outreach and plans to work with project managers and financial advisors to cost and pare down any list the community provides. He told trustees the district would seek feedback from parents, seniors, student groups and other stakeholders about priorities.

Trustees asked whether the board should set a ceiling (for example, a not-to-exceed millage rate) when authorizing outreach. Administration replied that the initial step is simply to collect community priorities; cost estimates and millage decisions would come later when the board is asked to advance a formal bond proposal. The administration said a bond election could be possible as early as August 2027 or as late as May 2028 depending on taxable-value trends and project scope.

The board generally agreed a formal resolution was not required to begin outreach; Hughes will circulate a plan for how he intends to solicit input and which stakeholders will be engaged. He asked trustees to provide suggestions for outreach and said he would return with a compiled list and next steps.

Next steps: Superintendent to begin outreach, circulate an outreach plan to trustees and later present cost estimates and scheduling options before any ballot decision.