IRSD's board readies for May elections

In less than two months, voters will take to the polls again to pick who will sit on the Indian River School District’s school board. The entire Indian River School District, made up of five zoned districts, encompasses students at Indian River and Sussex Central high schools, as well as Georgetown, Millsboro and Selbyville middle schools, seven elementary schools and additional education facilities, such as the Howard T. Ennis School and the Southern Delaware School of the Arts.

The deadline for candidates’ filing forms declaring their intent to run in the May 12 elections was last Friday, March 6. Two candidates will be running for the sole available seat in IRSD’s District 4, including incumbent board President Charles M. Bireley and challenger Harold L. Walters.

Patricia S. Oliphant is the lone candidate running for the single seat in IRSD’s District 2, while Robert D. Wilson and Shelly R. Wilson have filed for the two open seats in IRSD District 1. There will be no elections for any of those seats, since they are uncontested. The seats all carry a three-year term.

The election will take place on Tuesday, May 12, from 10 a.m. until 8 p.m. Eligible voters in May’s election must prove they are a bona fide resident of the school district in which they are voting, a citizen of the United States and 18 years of age or older. Proof of identity will be required at the polls. Indian River School District voting locations will be at Indian River High School, located at 29772 Armory Road in Dagsboro, and at Lord Baltimore Elementary School at 120 Atlantic Avenue in Ocean View.

In addition to the Indian River School District race, the Cape Henlopen School District will hold an election to fill its Area “C” seat, as well as one member-at-large vacancy, both of which hold a five-year term. In the Delmar School District to the south, two member-at-large seats will be voted upon, one with a five-year term and one with a three-year term. Laurel, Seaford and Woodbridge will also hold elections for one member-at-large seat in each of their respective districts.

Absentee ballots to vote in the elections must be mailed in no later than May 8 or turned in to the Sussex County Department of Elections in person by noon on May 11. The Department of Elections for Sussex County is located at 119 N. Race Street in Georgetown. Affidavits of eligibility must be submitted to the Department of Elections before the absentee ballot can be mailed to a voter. They are available online at www.electionssc.delaware.gov.

For more information concerning the election, including information on the candidates, districts and eligibility, visit that Web site, or call the Department of Elections at (302) 856-5367.

The Coastal Point will offer continuing coverage of the Sussex County Board of Education elections this spring.