A victory for the Republican party Tuesday evening as Bill Thompson, Mark Pettitt and Debra Jones Smith win the Hall County Board of Education seats.
Republican incumbent Bill Thompson will serve on the Hall County Board of Education At-Large seat for a fourth term. He was first elected in 2010.
“The first time I ran, something was tugging at my heart and said, 'This is something you need to do,'" Thompson said in October. "I've enjoyed my terms on the school board.”
Thompson has been involved with the Hall County School system for 45 years and formerly served as Chestatee High School’s principal.
One of Thompson’s main education concerns is school security. In an interview in October, he said the Hall County BOE is trying to do several different things to make the school buildings as safe as possible.
Republican candidate Debra Jones Smith secured the Hall County School Board Post 1 seat.
Smith has a long history of education-related experience and still teaches part-time at the University of North Georgia throughout her retirement.
“But I really haven't retired. I didn't stay out of education long until I started teaching at the college level," Smith said in an interview in October. "Education is my passion."
Smith decided to run for the Post 1 seat because of her interest in the school system.
"I'm just an educator and wanting to always find ways to make education better," she said.
Incumbent Board Member Mark Pettitt will serve on the Hall County School Board Post 2 seat for a second time. He was first elected to the board in 2018.
“My goal is to be accessible to constituents and the public and be active within the community,” Pettitt said.
Pettitt plans to continue improving facilities around the county. He said there is a lot left to be done as the average age of a Hall County School building is between 35 and 40 years old.
"It's my goal to be more aggressive with our 10-year facility plan that the voters approved by nearly a two-thirds margin," Pettitt said.
