An election was held Thursday afternoon to elect a new member to the Lamar County School Board of Trustees.

Lamar County Deputy Clerk Lacey Hill said two candidates were listed on the ballot, Jeremy Chance and Gladys Parker-Rodgers. At the end of the night, Chance won the election with a total of 570 votes, Parker-Rodgers received 282 votes.

According to previous coverage, last year the Lumberton School District was dissolved and incorporated into the Lamar County School District under Senate Bill 2500.

Chance, who is the current president for the school board, said the reason behind the election was to ensure those who were previously a part of the Lumberton School District had representation within the new District.

A number of students who live on the edge of Pearl River County attended schools in the Lumberton School District. After the dissolution, it was decided that these students would be retained and become part of the now larger Lamar County District rather than being transferred to the Poplarville School District, previous coverage states.

Chance said the Board’s plan to keep the Pearl River County students was to retain a bit of normalcy for them. He said he and the Board felt that it would be best for the students to be able to attend the same school, instead of uprooting them.

Because these students were retained, 940 Pearl River County registered voters remained within the Lamar County School District.

According to information released by the Pearl River County Chancery Clerk’s office, only 33 cast a ballot.

“I’m thankful for the people in Pearl River County who came out and voted. I appreciate them placing their trust in me,” Chance said.