Arrowhead School Board president asks Village of Hartland to explore annexing Arrowhead High School

Kim Schubert, president of the Arrowhead School Board, told the Village of Hartland board during public comment that her board sent a letter of intent asking whether the village would be open to exploring annexation of Arrowhead High School. Schubert said she spoke only for herself but that the school board had discussed annexation at multiple facility workshops and wanted to know whether the village had interest.

Schubert laid out three primary reasons the school board is considering annexation: stronger community and school identity tied to contiguous municipal boundaries; enhanced student and family services through better alignment with village recreation and youth-development programming; and support for school and community facilities, including discussion of a shared natatorium or other joint recreational facilities. She described recent academic and athletic improvements at Arrowhead as part of the context for the request.

Village officials and staff focused the board discussion on practical implications. Heartland Police Chief (Chief Misco) explained current coverage: one year-round school resource officer (SRO) assigned during the day and a second SRO during the school year, with some Waukesha County subsidy for the second-shift position. He told the board that if Arrowhead were annexed the village would ‘‘want that school resource officer position to be a Village of Hartland Police Department position’’ so the officer would be a village employee responsible to Hartland leadership.

Trustees pressed staff about possible costs and infrastructure responsibilities. Several trustees warned about ‘‘hidden costs’’ if the village assumed responsibility for utilities, roads or repairs, especially where storm sewer, water or road construction had not been built to village specifications. One trustee noted that much of Arrowhead’s water and sewer is already connected to the village at the existing connection point, but emphasized that private on-site utilities under driveways would remain the property owner’s responsibility unless the board voted otherwise.

Board members also discussed operational details for SROs (training, collective-bargaining constraints and summer schedules) and noted that some school districts use creative funding arrangements — including retired officers or shared funding — to staff positions when recruitment is tight. Chief Misco described the SRO program as ‘‘something I take as a priority in suburban law enforcement’’ and said the department tracks school checks and makes school safety a high priority.

After questions and discussion, trustees signaled interest in pursuing more information rather than immediate action. President Fannerstil said staff (Ryan) would obtain legal advice and provide more detailed, site-specific information after an attorney meeting; the board agreed to return the item for further consideration and indicated they could take a nonbinding vote later if warranted. No annexation petition was filed and no binding vote was taken at the meeting.

The board’s next steps include staff and legal review of the letter of intent, provision of maps and facility assessments from Arrowhead if discussions continue, and follow-up at a future meeting for additional direction.