Candidates sought to fill Dist. 5 vacancy on board of education

The Grady County Board of Education announced this week it will solicit applications from candidates interested in serving as the District 5 school board representative.
District 5 board member Dave Dumas surprised the board and community last week with his resignation announcement.
Law dictates the school board will appoint someone to serve as Dumas’ replacement until the next general election, which is Nov. 2016.
At that time, a special election will be held to fill the unexpired term of Dumas, who was recently elected to a four-year term, which began Jan. 1, 2015 and runs through Dec. 31, 2018.
Grady County Board of Education Chairman Teresa Gee Harris announced the board’s application process Tuesday night.
According to Chairman Harris, interested applicants will be required to fill out an application and provide a statement explaining why he/she is interested in serving on the board. Also included in the packet will be a brochure produced by the Georgia School Boards Association that explains the duties and responsibilities of school board members. In addition, a copy of the local board policy for board member duties will be provided.
Applications will be accepted through 4 p.m. on Friday, June 26 at the school system’s central office located at 122 N. Broad St.
“Hopefully we can review the applications at our July 7 budget workshop and can make a final decision at our July board meeting on July 14. Please share this information with anyone who may be interested in serving,” Chairman Harris said.
Dumas resigned due to growth in his timber business and his new job working as a police officer with the Cairo Police Department. He told The Messenger he would not have the time he thought necessary to serve effectively on the board of education.