Murrieta Valley USD Appoints New Trustee For Area 3, Filling Vacancy

MURRIETA, CA — This week, the Murrieta Valley District's Governing Board of Education appointed Josefine Hartley to serve as Trustee, filling the vacancy created when Yvonne Munoz announced her resignation effective September 15, 2025.

"Mrs. Hartley’s provisional term is for the next 12 months and will be up for election in November 2026. At that time, Mrs. Hartley can seek election to fill the remainder of Munoz’s term through November 2028," according to a spokesperson for the district in a recent news release.

Tuesday, October 28th, the Board of Education interviewed ten qualified candidates.

At the conclusion of the interviews, Trustees identified their top two to three candidates and Trustee Christine Schmidt made a motion to appoint Josefine Hartley. The motion was seconded by Board President Nicolas Pardue, and Hartley was appointed to the Murrieta Valley Unified School District (MVUSD) Board of Education.

"I appreciate Mrs. Hartley’s strong values, and she cares about what is going on in our community," Pardue said.

Following her appointment, Mrs. Hartley spoke on the new assignment.

"I am ready, I am a hard worker and not afraid. It will be an honor to serve Murrieta, I love Murrieta!" she said.

Josefine Hartley is a Registered Dental Assistant (RDA) and has been a part of the Murrieta Community for 37 years. She is a proud mother of three Murrieta Mesa alumni (2014, 2017, 2019).

Unless a petition calling for a special election pursuant to Education Code 5091 is filed in the Office of the Riverside County Superintendent of Schools within 30 days of this provisional appointment, it shall become an effective appointment.

Notwithstanding the right of the public to petition for a special election, all powers and duties of a governing board member begin once the appointment is made, according to the school board.