Published: September 12, 2008 04:19 am            

Pulaski school board boundaries clarified

Local News

The Commonwealth Journal, in response to questions about boundaries of divisions in the Pulaski County School District, is listing precincts in each of the three divisions involved in electing a member of the school board on Nov. 4 as well as the remaining two divisions in which there are no elections this fall.

County school board members will be elected in Division 1, Division 2 and Division 5. Contests developed in Division 1 and Division 2 and the sitting member has no opposition for re-election in Division 5.

In Division 1, board chairman Allen Larkin is stepping down. He told the Commonwealth Journal that he made the decision in July not to seek another term. He served a previous four-year term on the board and has been chairman for the past two years of his current term.

Candidates for Larkin’s Division 1 seat are Olivia Minton, wife of former superintendent Bert Minton, and Becky Morrow Early, office manager for Lake Cumberland Woodwork, Inc.

Division 1 covers much of southern Pulaski County and includes precincts No. 36 Burnside City, No. 36A Burnside County, No. 36E East Burnside County, No. 36N North Burnside County, No. 36S South Burnside County, No. 37 Gamblin, No. 38N Bronston North, No. 38S Bronston South and No. 39 Sloans Valley.

Betty Richards, a retired school teacher and a 20-year veteran on the board of education from Division 2 also has decided not to seek re-election. Candidates to succeed Richards in the Division 2 seat are Scott Marlar and Samantha Ping Stevens.

Division 2 extends from Somerset east and northeast though Ferguson to Shopville and Mt. Victory. Precincts in Division 2 are No. 5C Somerset, No. 8 Ferguson, No. 9 Parker, No. 10E Bourbon East, No. 14 Rush Branch, No. 30 Mark, No. 31 Catron, No. 32 Mayfield, No. 33 Mt. Victory, No. 35 Colo and No. 45 Dallas.

The top vote-getter in both Divisions 1 and 2 will win four-year terms on the Pulaski County Board of Education.

Phillip Wilson, the current board member in Division 5, is unopposed for re-election. Unless in the highly unlikely event of a successful write-in candidate, Wilson will continue to serve on the county board of education for the next four years, beginning in January. Write-in candidates must declare their intentions at least 10 days prior to the Nov. 4 election.

Division 5 extends from Somerset westward to include Nancy and Faubush; and then southwestward to include part of the Burnside community, Bourbon and Naomi.

Precincts in Division 5 are No. 5D Somerset, No. 5E Somerset, No. 10W Bourbon West, No. 11F Firebrook, No. 15 Nancy, No. 16 Okalona, No. 17 Harrison, No. 18 Fall Branch, No. 36W West Burnside County, No. 44E Naomi East and No. 44W Naomi West.

Board member Cindy Price from Division 3 still has time remaining in her current term. Her division extends northeasterly from Somerset through the Estesburg and Goodhope areas.

Precincts in Division 3 are No. 3A Somerset, No. 4B Somerset, No. 13 Caney Fork, No. 26 Estesburg, No. 27 Price, No. 28 Goodhope, No. 29 Hazeldell, No. 40 Gilliland and No. 43 Vaught.

Bill White, vice chair of the county board of education, has time remaining in his current term representing Division 4. His division extends from Somerset west through Saline and northward to Eubank and Mt. Zion.

Precincts in Division 4 are parts of No. 3A Somerset and No. 5B Somerset; No. 11E Saline East, No. 11W Saline West, No. 12 Girdler, No. 19 Hickorynut, No. 21 Ansel, No. 23 Science Hill County, No. 24 Buncombe, No. 25 Eubank and No. 47 Mt. Zion.

Independent school districts are not separated into divisions and board members are elected at-large.

In the Somerset Independent School District, Shannon Thompson, Scott Patrick Gulock, Bart R. Williams and Michael R. West all filed for the unexpired term of Hobert Withers Jr. The veteran board member was required to resign because of an alleged conflict of interest with his job at SomerSplash, a water park owned by the city of Somerset.

Incumbents T. Jeffrey Adams and Gretchen W. Cole both filed for re-election without opposition to four-year terms on the Somerset Board of Education. Elaine Wilson and Sharon Brown have time remaining in their current terms.

Jeff Leigh has filed for re-election as a member of the Science Hill Independent School District Board of Education and Scott Wheaton also filed for a full four-year term on the school board.

Sherrie Walters, by appointment, will serve on the board until the Nov. 4 general election. At that time she will compete with incumbent Leigh and newcomer Scott Wheaton for the two open, four-year terms on the board. The two top vote-getters will be seated on the Science Hill Board of Education for four-year terms.

Science Hill School Board members with time remaining in their terms are chairman Mike Elliott, vice-chairman Bruce Phelps and David Sayers Jr.

        

• Click to discuss this story with other readers on our forums.