Justin Talley resigns from Los Lunas Board of Education

LOS LUNAS — The Los Lunas Board of Education is looking at the possibility of a complete overhaul come November after the resignation of board secretary Justin Talley at the board’s regularly scheduled meeting on Tuesday, June 20.

Talley, who represents District 1 and has sat on the board since 2023, is moving out of the district. His resignation will officially take effect on June 4.

Talley announced his resignation via a statement near the end of Tuesday night’s meeting. In his statement, Talley said due to unforeseen changes in his family’s life, they will be moving out of the single-member district in which he currently resides.

“In doing so, I will have to vacate this seat,” Talley read from the statement. “To help facilitate all the changes that will need to occur, I will be resigning my seat, effective June 4, 2025. Know that this is something I do with a heavy heart.

“This is not something I expected when I started this position. I am grateful for the time I’ve had to work with the board and the district and wish the best for the board members and the district. Los Lunas will be a premier district.”

Because of Talley’s resignation, board elections in November will involve an unprecedented four of the five seats — District 1 and District 2 (Sonya C’Moya) for two-year terms and District 3 (P. David Vickers) and District 5 (Bruce Bennett) for four-year terms.

The Los Lunas Board of Education will have 30 days after Talley’s official resignation date to appoint a new member. If the board is unable to do so, the New Mexico Public Education Department will step in and make the appointment.

After his statement, board members praised Talley for his service and he reciprocated in his comments.

“Mr. Talley, I appreciate your perspective and I will also miss your input and I hope we can find a replacement that will be up to speed (and) with your expertise,” said Vickers.

On Thursday, LLS Board President Dr. Michelle Osowski said the board’s constitution spells out the actions required by members when they move out of their district.

“The moment you move out of your elected single-member geographic boundaries, you vacate the position,” he said. “And instead of it being the last minute, he’s giving the board plenty of notice, which is very kind of him. I respect that he’s looking out for us as much as he’s looking out you know to be a person of integrity.”

Osowski said she would “truly miss” Talley being on the board.

“As you might have picked up, last year was a very challenging year for a lot of folks. We didn’t always see eye to eye; however, I felt like he came to the table with a servant’s heart, and I felt that he was as interested and committed to providing support, oversight, and guidance to develop a quality premier school district.”

After accepting Talley’s resignation, the board motioned to untable the approval of the board’s election resolution and proclamation and unanimously approved them with an amendment to section two, which added Talley’s district to the proclamation.

Candidates running for a position on the LLS Board of Education must declare their candidacy on Aug. 26 with the Valencia County clerk.