GRANTS, N.M. — The Grants-Cibola County Schools Board of Education opened its first meeting of the new year with major changes and routine business, including the formal swearing- in of two new members, the unanimous election of board officers, and the surprise announcement that longtime District 5 representative Dr. Guy Archambeau will resign effective Jan. 20, 2026, citing family medical reasons and prompting the board to begin the vacancy process.
Dr Guy Archambeau Resigns
“Madam President, I need to inform you of something,” Dr Archambeau said. “This is for the board. And I’m going to read a statement. It’s basically an announcement. Please accept this letter as my formal resignation from the Grants Cibola County Schools Board of Education representing district 5, effective January 20, 2026. This decision is necessitated by family medical reasons that require my full attention. It is made with careful consideration and respect for the responsibilities entrusted to this office in my election in 2014. I extend my sincere appreciation to my fellow board members, district leadership, educators, and staff for their service to students and families throughout the Grants Cibola County. I’m especially grateful to the Acoma Navajo communities that comprise District 5. My service has been guided by respect for tribal sovereignty and the inherent right of tribes to advocate for the education of their children. I respectfully request that this resignation be entered into the official record and that the board proceed with the vacancy process in accordance with applicable New Mexico law and board policy. And thank you for the opportunity to serve…” Dr Archambeau turned his attention to the two new board members, “I wish you well, in all that you’re going to do… You’ve got an excellent opportunity to make a difference for the kids.”
“Thank you so much for your time and your expertise and knowledge and leadership that you have devoted to the children in this school district,” President Lee said after Archambeau gave his letter to Superintendent Widner, as necessary. “We will greatly miss you sitting at this table with us. We are very sorry that you have difficulty with the family right now, but as you have heard me say over and over these last two years, family is number one and doing what’s right for your family should always be the first consideration… We are very sorry to see you go.”
“I want to thank you, Guy,” Vice President Jaramillo stated. “You’ve not only been a school board member, but you were also an educator. You were a principal and involved… Sorry to hear that… but there is sometimes you have to go to your family. It’s a surprise, definitely a surprise, but you definitely had your hand in a lot of the stuff that has happened not only through the school board but… there’s some of our teachers and some of our principles [who]… you [were like] their role model. There’s a few of them who have mentioned you and I’ve known you to be in the schools a long time… I thank you for your service and [I’m] disappointed to hear that… but we appreciate your service and I just pray for the health and the blessings that you deserve.”
Editor’s Note: for more details on the resignation and process to fill the vacancy left behind, see Page A5 of today’s edition. The GCCS Board of Education held a meeting on Jan. 12 to discuss filling the vacancy, the Citizen was unable to cover this meeting due to deadline restraints, but their work will be in the A5 article.
Swearing in New Board Members
Courtney Clawson and Monica Salazar were officially sworn in as board members, with Clawson being from District 3, and Salazar for District 1.
These two were first sworn on December 5, 2025, by the State of New Mexico, where they began responsibilities and expressed their readiness to lead and support GCCS.
Board Committees
“Before we begin, I’m going to explain the process.” President Francie Lee explained, “Each office will be taken, each for each officer position. It will be taken one at a time. For each position, a board member may nominate another board member for the office. Then another board member must second that nomination. After the second has happened for the nomination, I will ask if there are additional nominations for that position. When nominations are closed, we will vote. Voting will occur simply by a raising of hands. At that point we will tally those votes and record them. And the nominee receiving the majority of votes will be declared elected to that office. At that time, you will assume the position of that office and you will further the meeting in that role.”
“I would like to decline any nominations for myself,” Dr. Guy Archambeau stated.
After asking if anyone had any questions, hearing none, President Lee said “All right, we will move to election of the board president. May I have any nominations for the office of board president?”
After the board members voted, Lee said “By unanimous vote, the board has elected myself, Francie Lee, as board president.”
Next, the nominations for GCCS board vice president was held. “I would like to nominate Walter Jaramillo for vice president,” Lee stated.
Once again, the voting was unanimous, with everyone voting for Jaramillo to resume being the board vice president.
Next was the election for board secretary, in which Vice President Jaramillo said, “I will nominate Courtney Clawson as secretary of the school board.”
The vote was unanimous.
District Vehicle Auctions Superintendent Lane Widner explained that their finance director, Cooper Jones, has been working with the finance committee for approximately eight months. “We acquired some new vehicles,” Widner stated. “We bought a couple of new vehicles, nice vehicles that are for students there. We bought Suburbans and we bought a big truck and we have nice vehicles that we’re using for student transportation… and for work… And we are selling… six of our older vehicles. So, there’s six vehicles that are on a public auction site. Anybody from the community, anybody from anywhere can bid. If you go to GovDeals.com and you type in ‘Grants’ that’ll pull up our six vehicles and bring whatever money we get back in.” Widner explained that the bidding “closes on the 19th of January.” He went on to say “In the future, we will be also auctioning off some of our older technology and some of the old smart boards… Anybody can purchase these vehicles because this is a public auction.”
Upcoming
January 19, 2026 - Martin Luther King Day - District Closed January 22, 2026 - Regular Board Meeting