CARRIERE — Newly elected District 5 board member Twila Crabtree said on Thursday that she looks forward to the challenge of being a Pearl River County school board member.
“I accomplished what I sat out to do, and that was to get elected. I look forward to the challenges we will be facing next year, and as everyone knows, it will have a lot to do with our finances, what with recent budget cuts,” she said after Tuesday’s election.
Crabtree unseated incumbent Margie Creel by a vote of 127 to 114, only a 13-vote margin. About 10 percent of the registered voters in District 5 cast ballots in the election. There are 2,035 registered voters in the district.
Crabtree said that everyone she talked to expected a low turn-out because there were no other races on the ballot.
“I was told not to expect a big turn-out because of the absence of other races on the ballot,” she said. “But I am happy with the results, despite the low turn-out. I did what I set out to do.”
Incumbent Margie Creel said she had “no comment.”
Creel, when her term ends on Dec. 31, will have served one six-year term as a school board member. She ran six years ago and beat out three opponents to win the seat formerly occupied by Darris Moeller, who decided not to seek re-election.
The five school board members are all elected, with the election of each one staggered to give the board continuity. The superintendent’s position is also an elected office and that makes the school board the only fully elected school board in the county.
Creel actually out-polled Crabtree in two of the three precincts, but a large vote for Crabtree in the Salem box put here over the top.
The results by precinct were: Salem: Crabtree 104, Creel 83; Sycamore: 9, 14; and Caesar: 14, 17.
Crabtree is a Bakersfield, Calif., native and has lived here for 12 years.
Said Crabtree, “I canvassed the whole district, and I realized what a huge task it was, so I got some people to help me, and I thank those who helped. I realized that there might not be a good turn-out so I worked real hard.”
She said the idea of running for the board occurred to her about four years ago when her son entered high school.
Crabtree’s election sets up the scenario of having two new school board members occupy their seats in only a matter of months. Crabtree will be sworn in at the regularly scheduled meeting on Jan. 4.
At the regularly scheduled school board meeting on Monday, sworn in was newly appointed school board member Bonnie Sanders, who will fill the District 2 unexspired term of Byron Stockstill, who resigned on Aug. 12, citing conflicts with his job schedule.
The replacement of Stockstill fell to the board since the election for the District 2 seat is over six months away. The next District 2 election will be held on Dec. 31, 2011.
Sanders works at Stennis and Crabtree works as a grant writer and formerly worked at PRCC as a grant administrator.
Both have children in the PRC school system.
The next regularly scheduled meeting of the PRC board is on Tuesday, Dec. 8, at 6 p.m. The meeting was moved up a day so it would not conflict with the Picayune Christmas parade.
The board routinely meets on the first Monday of each month, but can call for special meetings during the month or recess to another day during the month before the regularly scheduled meeting.
When Crabtree is sworn in on Jan. 4, the board will have a full compliment of board members and will be, as Crabtree pointed out, facing financial challenges next year. The school system recently absorbed a half-million-dollar cut in state funding because state tax collections have weakened.
Picayune and Poplarville also absorbed cuts, and school officials have said they expect more cuts in the coming months.
The Pearl River County school district covers mainly the central portion of the county. Poplarville and Picayune operate under separate municipal-type systems.
After Crabtree is sworn in on Jan. 4, the board will consist, besides Crabtree, of the following members: Sanders, Sherwin Taylor, Michelle Boyd and Jeff Jones.
Dennis E. Penton is the superintendent of the system.
Local News
Newly elected PRC board member Crabtree looks forward to challenge; about 10 percent of registered voters turn out
- Local News
-
-
SAFETY DAY
Picayune Police officers made a visit to the First Baptist Church of Picayune’s preschool class for their Community Helpers Safety Day. During the event the kids got to meet police officers and trigger lights and sirens in patrol vehicles.
- Escapee caught in county Pearl River County Sheriff’s deputies have captured the inmate who escaped from Mississippi Department of Corrections custody on Friday after attending his father’s wake in Picayune.
- Council discusses which funds to spend first On the same day as the ground breaking for the addition to the historic City Hall, city council members discussed which funds to spend first in its construction.
-
Poplarville aldermen honor Holliday, get audit report briefing
The city board of aldermen honored former District Three Supervisor Hudson Holliday at its Tuesday night meeting.
Mayor Billy Spiers presented Holliday with a framed resolution of appreciation for his dedication and service to the city while serving as county supervisor.
-
MRI INSTALLED
This $1.2 million Magnetic Resonance Imaging equipment was installed at the new location of Highland Community Hospital.
-
Hall suspected of robbery after escaping
A man who escaped from jail after attending his father’s wake is suspected of having carried out an armed robbery on the Texas-Arkansas state line. Johnny Hall escaped from Mississippi Department of Corrections custody on Friday while attending his father’s wake in Picayune.
-
City Hall expansion groundbreaking held
A groundbreaking ceremony was held Tuesday at the construction site for the expansion of the historic Picayune City Hall. “You can see our future when you look down Goodyear Boulevard. You see Chimney Square, our high school, The Link at First Baptist Church, Jack Read Park and then our historic City Hall.
-
PRC athletic director says he’ll recommend random drug testing
Pearl River Central athletic director Andy Kivlan told the school board at its Monday night meeting that he will most likely recommend that students participating in extracurricular activities, including band and ROTC, be subject to random drug screening.
-
Supervisors adopt resolution encouraging more economic development in South Miss.
Following a short presentation by State Sen. Tony Smith (R-Picayune), the board of supervisors adopted on Monday a resolution encouraging state officials and agencies to exercise “fairness and parity” regarding location of new industries in Mississippi.
-
MDEQ wants comprehensive waste disposal plan from county
The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality has told Pearl River County it wants a comprehensive waste disposal plan for the county. Supervisors indicated at their Monday meeting that they are not happy with the request.
- More Local News Headlines
-
Denver's Largest-Ever Drug Bust Nets Dozens
Marines: No Punishment for Nazi-like Flag
Vets Look to Translate Military Skills Into Jobs
Expert: Removing LA School's Staff 'Appropriate'
Raw Video: School Bus Burst Into Flames
LA School Reopens Amid Sex Abuse Scandal
$25B Settlement Reached Over Foreclosure Abuses
Pentagon: Allow Women Closer to Front Lines
Obama Gives Education Waivers to 10 States
Giffords Aide to Run for Her Seat
LA School in Sex Abuse Scandal Reopens
Winter Slamming North Asia, Parts of Europe
Syrian Forces Renew Bombardment of Homs
States, Banks Reach Foreclosure-abuse Settlement
Raw Video: Italy's Mount Etna Bursts Into Life
Greeks March; Angry Despite Debt Deal
Raw Video: U.S. Pullout Celebration
Raw Video: Annual Empire State Building Run-Up
Man Killed in Courthouse Shootout
Air Force Airlines: Leaders Get Polished Service
