Julia Presley says good-bye to the Board of Education at its Dec. 22 meeting.

Board of Education member Julia Presley said good-bye to her colleagues Dec. 22, as she prepared to leave the seat she’s held for the past six years.

Presley, a former school board vice president and president, declined to seek re-election this year. Her seat was won by newcomer Ardaman Singh.

Presley presided over a divisive period in the board’s history, culminating in the abrupt resignation of former schools Superintendent Edward Seto.

“Tonight is my last meeting,” Presley said at the end of the session. “I wanted to thank the general public for electing me for two terms.”

“It was a pleasure working in Franklin Township, not only because I enjoyed working with most of the people in the district, but also because I have grandchildren in the district and I wanted to make sure their education was fruitful for them,” she said.

“I tried to stay faithful to my motto, ‘putting our children first, a solutions-driven leadership.’ I hope I served you all well and I will miss all of you,” Presley said.

Presley said that she’ll be around the district.

“I will continue to be a voice in this district,” she said. “I’m not going anywhere.”