5 file for School Board seats in upcoming General Election

Five people have filed for the upcoming school board election in November. 

In District 1, the incumbent Brian Pratt has filed for another term on the board. He will be challenged by two life-long public servants, Vicksburg Police Lt. Bill Jeffers and Retired Fire Captain Shane Quimby. 

In District 5, Vicksburg Police Investigator Orlon Derrick Smith will be running against former school board member Joe Loviza. The current District 5 representative, Sally Bullard, announced she will not seek reelection. Loviza had to step down from the board as the District 4 representative in September of 2019 because he had moved out of the district.

September 9, today, was the final day to file the petition and affidavit required to run for election to the VWSD Board of Trustees. From here the Warren County Election Committee will vet the 5 candidates for eligibility. The candidates are not qualified to be on the ballot until the Election Committee checks their qualifications and verifies that they have met the criteria. 

Trustees on the Vicksburg Warren School Board are elected for a term of six years, with districts split across a staggered cycle so that every two years, one or more of the five districts will be on the general election ballot. This year marks the end of the term for District 1 Trustee Bryan Pratt, who will run to keep the seat, and District 5 Trustee Sally Bullard, who has chosen not to run for another term.

Eligibility

• must be a bona fide resident and qualified elector of the district,
• must have high-school diploma,
• must have completed a basic course of training and education for local school board members conducted by the Mississippi School Boards Association (MSBA),
• must submit annually certificates of completion for continuing education courses from the MSBA,
• must file a petition signed by no less than 25 voters in area represented, along with an affidavit certifying that all signatures are genuine and each person is a registered voter