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FARMVILLE – The Prince Edward School Board needs a new representative for District 1. Anyone interested in the job will have two chances to apply, both now and in November.

As The Herald reported earlier this month, Dr. Peter Gur was recently appointed to fill a vacancy on the Prince Edward County Board of Supervisors. Gur was chosen to serve as a temporary replacement, filling the vacant seat left when Beverley Booth stepped down in July for health reasons. A special election will be held in November to pick someone to serve the rest of Booth’s term.

But his appointment left another vacancy, this one on the county school board.

When are applications due?

To fill this position, the school board is currently accepting applications from those interested. The vacancy must be filled within 45 days, so a decision must be made for an interim by Sept. 19.

Registered voters living in District 1 in Prince Edward County are encouraged to send in a letter of interest and a resume to Clerk of the Board Janet McConville, at 35 Eagle Drive, Farmville, VA 23901. These applications have to be in by Aug. 26 to be considered.

Much like those appointed to the Board of Supervisors this year, the interim will serve on the board with all powers of the elected office until the Tuesday, Nov. 8 special election.

“Anyone interested in running in November can do so, however, in the meantime we can put in an interim,” said Prince Edward Superintendent Dr. Barbara Johnson.

Prince Edward School Board changes procedure

Electing a school board member is almost a new idea in Prince Edward County. In years past, school board members were chosen by a much different process. Instead of Prince Edward County residents voting for their pick, new members were appointed by the Board of Supervisors. Only a handful of cities and counties in Virginia still use that practice.

This changed in 2016 when residents voted to directly elect school board members.

With the multiple interim members appointed this year, we’ll have special elections for both the board of supervisors and school board in Prince Edward County this November.