By Rupert Howell

Only North Panola School District residents will be voting next Tuesday in the General Election where three of five trustee positions have competing candidates.

South Panola School District has one trustee position, District One, up for election, but also only one qualifyer. 

Since incumbent Jerry Cooley has no challenger, that position will not appear on Tuesday’s ballot  according to Deputy Circuit Clerk Janice Dodd who said that decision was made by the Panola County Election Commission.

Commissioners did have all candidates on ballots for North Panola trustees including those unopposed, according to Dodd, who again said the decision lay with election commissioners.

North Panola Trustee District Two candidates include Cecil Gene Dowden, Verna Lasha Hunter and Dietrick Johnson.

District Four includes candidates Patsy Jackson and Patricia Wright Lamar facing each other while District Five candidates are Trosiki Pettis and Mary G. “Kay” Wolfe.

District One candidate Deborah Armstrong Tucker and District Three candidate Chris Fairlee are the unopposed North Panola candidates.

North Panola School Board was disbanded during the current state takeover. Election of a new board is part of the district resuming local control following accreditation. 

School trustees are elected to five-year terms with one of the five members on the ballot each year. Due to North Panola replacing all five positions, terms will be staggered with Position One serving for one year, Position Two for two years . . . with those positions open again when the “short” terms expire for a full five-year term.

New trustees will take oaths of office in January.

(Please see related commentary page A4)