LAPS NEWS RELEASE
The Los Alamos Public Schools Board has received three letters of interest to fill the vacancy in District 1 which resulted from the resignation of School Board member Dr. Margie Serrato. District 1 includes Piñon Elementary School. Elisa Baker, Stephanie Galvez and Katie Mussack have submitted their names for consideration to join the School Board.
A candidate forum will be held in the School Boardroom and via Zoom on Monday, April 6 from 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm. Members of the community interested in hearing more from each candidate may attend or join using this link:
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/5056632222?pwd=ODd1d3h0Z1dGd1ByT0lVNGU3T2dFQT09&o
mn=88243842768
Meeting ID: 505 663 2222
Passcode: j45K8H
The School Board will take action on filling the vacancy during the School Board meeting on
April 14, 2026. The term will run through December 31, 2026.
Meet the Candidates
Eliza Baker has lived in Los Alamos for 20 years and is employed at Los Alamos National Laboratory. She has one student attending Pinon Elementary School. “I believed that children are complete individuals and generally should be trusted to know their own hearts and needs, and our job is to support them to the extent possible while preparing them for a a life in a complicated world that will probably look completely different that we envision in 20 years,” she stated in her letter of interest. “One of the most important things we can do for our students today is teach them to think critically with their own minds, before they enter a world determined to remove that agency from them and outsource creativity to computers.”
Stephanie Galvez is a graduate of LAPS and is the parent of three students who have attended LAPS. She has more than 25 years of leadership experience working at Los Alamos National
Laboratory. “I have experienced firsthand the value of our district and its role in preparing students for success beyond graduation,” she noted in her letter of interest. “My goal in seeking to serve on the School Board is to support a strong educational environment where every student, regardless of background, has the opportunity to thrive academically and personally in a safe and welcoming school community.”
Katie Mussack has enjoyed a career as a scientist at Los Alamos National Laboratory for the past 16 years. She has children attending Aspen Elementary School and Los Alamos Middle School. In her letter of interest, she noted, “I have mentored students and postdocs at the lab, run workshops at science events for middle schoolers, and done science outreach in local classrooms. As a parent, I regularly volunteered in my kids’ classrooms and at school events.” She added, “I value understanding the needs of students, teachers, administrators, and support
staff and figuring out how to best support everyone in our community.”