Murrieta Valley Unified appoints Josephine Hartley to Trustee Area 3 after public interviews

The Murrieta Valley Unified School District Board of Education voted to appoint Josephine Hartley to the vacant Trustee Area 3 seat after a special meeting that included public comment and interviews with multiple candidates.

Hartley, who introduced herself to the board as Josephine (Josefina) Hartley and described long-term ties to the community and bilingual outreach experience, took the oath of office after the board’s vote. After the oath she said, "It would be an honor to serve Murrieta." The board announced the appointment immediately after the roll-call vote and then adjourned the meeting.

The meeting opened with public comments that repeatedly urged the trustees to consider candidates’ experience and the district's changing demographics. Supporters of candidate Ellen Larson highlighted her decades of PTA and county-level family-engagement work; one speaker summarized Larson’s philosophy using the phrase the candidate quoted about schools: "every child learning whatever it takes." Another public commenter, Julie Vandegrift, cited district assessment numbers and argued the board should prioritize basic reading and math outcomes, stating that while the district posts a 96 percent graduation rate, "more than 1 out of 5 eleventh graders are not reading to standard, and more than half ... are not meeting math standards."

During interviews, candidates emphasized different priorities. Ellen Larson foregrounded family engagement and boardsmanship; several candidates, including Joshua Barton and Elliot Emmer, stressed career readiness and stronger school–business partnerships; others, including Courtney Cooper, highlighted health and parental-advocacy perspectives. Retired district administrator Dale Veil emphasized core academics, technology and student resiliency; Josephine Hartley framed bilingual outreach and representation for Hispanic families as central to her candidacy.

After the public interviews and brief deliberations, a trustee moved to nominate Josephine Hartley and a second was made. The motion carried and the board declared Hartley appointed to the vacant Trustee Area 3 seat. Board members then administered the oath of office to Hartley.

The new trustee will serve in the provisional appointment until the next applicable election cycle and is expected to participate in board duties immediately. The board adjourned following the oath.

(Reporting based on the board’s public minutes and transcript of the special meeting.)