Geary USD 475 Board of Education members voted Tuesday night to accept a letter of resignation from Board member Sarah Talley. She and her husband Ken are moving to Hesston, KS.
Talley told JC Post that she and her husband have been making preparations for some time for any issues that may develop in the future in connection with Parkinson's disease experienced by Ken. "One of those things was to look at finding a home that was all on one level." Talley added that they also found that there were other opportunities and resources to make life better for him. "Parkinson's, not a fun disease and it's not something that you really know what's going to happen from day to day but we've been blessed. Kenny's doing well and we want to enjoy the time that we have."
"We actually put our home on the market thinking it would take awhile before it would be purchased and it went very very quickly and the individuals that made the purchase wanted to be in by Sept. 10, and so we were on a very fast time frame." They will reside in a retirement community in Hesston, not far from family members in Wichita.
Talley has served on the school board in USD 475 for nearly four years. Her term was due to expire in December. She has also served as a principal at Lincoln Elementary School and for the Early Childhood Center, and as the Head Start Director and Human Resources Director for the district. "I enjoyed my time on the Board. It was a learning experience." Talley added that she felt that the Board in the last four years had faced a lot of issues that probably many board members who had served for a much longer time never had to face. I feel like we stepped up and we made decisions, and they worked hard."
Sara explained that there were no concerns or issues for her in Junction City. The move was just due to the way the housing situation developed.
The school board has decided to leave the position on the BOE vacant until January after the November elections.