By Rupert Howell
South Panola School District Board President Sandra Darby will face Justin Pope in this year’s school board election which will be included on the General Election Ballot November 3.

Incumbent North Panola School board member, Verna Lasha Hunter, faces no opposition and her name will not be on the November 3 ballot according to Deputy Circuit Clerk Heather Turner.

Five school board members serve five-year terms on the trustee board with one member being elected each year. District Three trustee position is up for election in South Panola and Ms. Hunter represents District Two in North Panola.

Trustees run non-partisan which bypasses party elections. Qualifying dates are different from county offices usually running during a month-long period between the first days of August through the first days of September—this year running from August 5 until September 5.

Darby currently serves as board president at South Panola. That district is on the uphill side of approximately $10 million plus in new construction projects.

North Panola trustees have regrouped after that district was under conservatorship making strides in a positive direction under Superintendent Cedric Richardson.

Darby is employed at South Mississippi Electric Power Association’s generating facility in Batesville.

Pope is currently working with several municipalities with the Mississippi Tobacco Free Coalition.

District Three  covers the southwest corner of Panola at Crowder, running east-west through the Courtland area all the way to Liberty Hill Road in the south east portion of Panola.