RINCON — The Effingham County Board of Education District 4 seat will be contested in this election and will pit incumbent Beth Helmly against newcomer Ben Johnson.
Helmly is currently serving her first full term while Johnson is a business owner and has served the Effingham School System in the Maintenance Department where he was responsible for the athletic fields.
Helmly began her career in education in 1977 and has been in it for 32 years. When asked why she chose to run for the board, she said, “I felt like I could present an educator’s perspective. It doesn’t hurt to have somebody who’s been on the inside making decisions that’s going to affect those people. I think it’s probably one of the reasons I moved to administration, same kind of philosophy. I’ve taught, I know what it’s like to be a teacher in the classroom — not just for a couple of years but for 10 years at various schools at various levels and so now I’ve got an idea of how can I take that and do what’s best for people in the classroom based on that experience. “
Johnson has said that, “Being a parent of three children who are all involved in school activities, I have first-hand knowledge of information pertinent to the everyday activities of faculty, staff and students as well as the school system as a whole.”

See the May 16 edition of the Effingham Herald for more details.