Meet the School Board Candidate: Michael Hartline

Bio:

Michael Hartline moved to Warminster in 2002 with his wife Patti, and his family.  His two daughters attended Willow Dale Elementary, Log College Middle School and are graduates of William Tennent High School, and have both gone on to higher education.  His son is in second grade at Willow Dale Elementary School. 

Michael is a Graduate of Temple University Fox School of Business and has been self-employed for more than 15 years. He has extensive business experience in operations and administration in both the public and private sectors. 

Michael was elected to the Centennial School Board of Directors in 2009.  Since then he has been dedicated to improving the education of our students while being a steward of tax payer dollars. Michael has served as a member of Centennial’s education committee (alternate 2009-2010), and currently serves on the finance committee (since 2009), where he has been chairman since 2011.  

As committee member and then chairman Michael worked closely with the district’s chief financial officer and administration to reduce expenses and wasteful spending while increasing funding for technology and classroom materials, saving the school district millions of dollars. These have included changes to the district’s health insurance plan and the re-negotiation of the current Centennial Education Association contract.

Additionally, Mr. Hartline has also served as Centennial’s representative to the Bucks County Intermediate Unit #22 (BCIU #22) and was elected as president of the Executive Council in 2011.  

As board member and current president of the BCIU #22, he has delivered three straight years of lower program and service budgets to our member school districts while increasing the services and programs to the districts, improving the education of any child receiving services from the Intermediate Unit. 

Hartline worked with Administration to help establish the Bucks and Montgomery County Schools Joint Labor/Management Health Care Consortium, providing members an alternative health insurance plan for participating districts at a reduced cost and lower renewal rates. 

What is the biggest issue facing the school district?

In my opinion the biggest issue facing the district is containing expenses while continuing to improve the education of our students.   

I am committed to further containing expenses. Already I have worked to cut our operating expenses year over year.  Additionally we, (the business office and finance committee) have reorganized the way Centennial's health insurance is administered saving the district hundreds of thousands of dollars annually. 

I will continue to work with the business office seeking economies of scale throughout the district. Finally I will persist in working with our state legislators to increase funding for state mandates such as teachers pensions and Special Education services.