Beth Helmly is another step closer to serving on the Effingham County Board of Education.

The school board voted unanimously Wednesday to appoint Helmly to complete Mose Mock’s term, which expires at the end of this year. The District 4 seat has been vacant since Mock announced in January he was stepping down.

The board of education could have chosen to appoint someone to the District 4 seat sooner, but opted to wait until after the May 20 primary. Helmly was one of four candidates seeking the seat.

Helmly received 50.12 percent of the vote in the primary, avoiding a runoff by one vote. Her four-year term on the board will begin Jan. 1, 2015.

“We’re going to go ahead and vote for her to fulfill the expired term until January, Mr. Mock’s, since she’s going to be on there anyway,” school board Chairman Lamar Allen said prior to Wednesday’s vote.

“It is an honor to have been elected by the people of the 4th District to represent them on the board of education,” Helmly said. “In the appointment to fill the rest of Mr. Mock’s term, I hope to represent to the best of my ability the citizens of Effingham County.”

The school board anticipates Helmly will be sworn in at its June 19 meeting. First, the board must submit paperwork to Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp so he can grant permission for Helmly to receive the oath of office.

“I’m sure that’s just a formality,” Allen said, “and then we’ll probably have that done right before the (June 19) board meeting.”

Helmly worked in the education field for more than 30 years. An Effingham native, Helmly was a teacher, an assistant principal and the principal of Ebenezer and Effingham County middle schools.

“My main goal is to maintain a school system that provides our children with an education that will make them productive members of our society,” she said.