With Friday’s qualifying deadline looming large for two school board positions in Tallahatchie County, one person has tossed her hat into the proverbial ring.
Sharon Elaine Jackson-Bailey, of 256 Main St., Webb, filed qualifying papers Aug. 26 to seek the Education District 4 post, a seat on the West Tallahatchie School District Board of Trustees.
The slot was formerly held by Tracy Mims, also of Webb, who resigned July 16 after serving 14 years and seven months on the board. Mims’ third, five-year term was set to expire at the end of 2019.
Members of the East and West Tallahatchie school districts’ five-member boards of trustees serve staggered five-year terms, with one seat in each district coming up for election every fall.
This year’s Nov. 5 general election will feature the trustee posts in Education District 4 and Education District 9, the latter representing a seat on the East Tallahatchie School District Board of Trustees presently held by Darrel Neal.
As of Tuesday afternoon, no one had qualified for the ETSD position, according to Circuit Clerk Daphane Neal.
The qualifying period for this year’s school board elections opened Aug. 7, and the qualifying deadline is 5 p.m. this Friday, Sept. 6.
Although there is no qualifying fee for school board, candidates must gather on a petition, 50 signatures from registered voters who live within the boundaries of their respective education district. Properly formatted petition forms are available from the circuit clerk’s offices at the Tallahatchie County courthouses in Charleston and Sumner.
For more information about the school board seats or other election topics, contact the circuit clerk’s office in Charleston at 647-8758 or in Sumner at 375-8515.
