Qualifying Deadline Looms For School Slots

By David Howell

Editor

WATER VALLEY – Just over two weeks remain in the qualifying period for school trustee positions scheduled for the November 6 General Election and no candidates have qualified at presstime Tuesday.

In Water Valley two of the five slots for the school board will be on the ballot – a special election to fill the remaining four years for Position One and the regular election for Position Two.  School board races are staggered and typically only one slot is on the ballot each year but last year trustees appointed Bryan Gilley to Position One after no candidate qualified for the position. Gilley, who was already serving in Position 1, agreed to the appointment to serve another year after explaining that he did not qualify because he could not commit to a full five-year term. 

The school board also appointed a representative to fill the final year in the five-year term for Position 2 last December following trustee Lamar Burgess’ resignation. Burgess served 17 years on the board before stepping down. Rodney Phillips was appointed to fill the position following a recommendation from Burgess for his successor. Phillips told the Herald he plans to run for the seat.

November’s election comes as trustees serving on the Water Valley School Board continue to work on details for a multi-million dollar plan to fund improvements at the schools that will be funded by issuing general obligation (GO) bonds. Voters will also have a chance to weigh in on borrowing the money, as a referendum is required as part of the process. This vote is not expected to coincide with the November General Election. 

One slot will be on the ballot in the Coffeeville School District in November – Position 2. Roger Jackson currently serves in the position.

Candidates have until Sept. 7 to qualify for the positions. To qualify, you must pick up an application from the circuit clerk’s offices and gather 50 signatures from registered voters who reside in the district in which you are running.

Circuit Clerk Burney also reminded all voters in the county that October 8, is the deadline to notify his office of any changes prior to the November 6 election. He listed four criteria that would warrant a trip to his offices in Water Valley or Coffeeville before the deadline – if you have moved, had a name change, if you have never registered to vote or if you turn 18 years old before November 6 and plan to vote for the first time.