An opening on Hartland Schools’ Board of Education has been filled by a student parent who says she wants to continue down the positive path the district is on.

A trustee seat on the board was left vacant when longtime member Kevin Kaszyca announced last month that he’d be leaving for personal reasons. Kaszyca served on the board for 13 years. Six candidates applied for the position, which Board President Thom Dumond says was both a blessing and a curse. Dumond was thrilled to have so much interest, but noted it was a hard decision, saying every one of the candidates was very much qualified and would’ve brought something significant to the board.

Public interviews were held and the board voted at its Monday meeting to appoint Kristin Coleman to the seat. Coleman has been on Round Elementary School’s PTO for three years and this coming year will be her third as president. She says she’s frequently involved in district happenings as she has four sons going into third grade there. She says she frequently participates in school events and attends meetings for Hartland’s District Parent Advisory Committee, where she says she’s gained “quite a bit of perspective” from information shared by Superintendent Chuck Hughes.

She hopes to bring to the board her experience in event planning, project management and organizational skills. As for her goals, she says she wants to continue down the positive path the district is on and continue community partnerships.

Dumond says he was drawn to Coleman, having heard much praise regarding her contributions to the district, adding something he was also looking for among applicants was a desire to foster Hartland’s culture and that he saw that in Coleman. He and other board members reiterated how impressed they were with all of the candidates and encouraged them to continue to pursue involvement opportunities in the district. (DK)