The Lincoln County School Board started 2017 down a member.

Michael Posey, who represents District 5, stepped down after fulfilling two six-year terms. He attended a reception hosted in his honor before the meeting Monday, and then left smiling with his gifts and his wife before the pledge of allegiance. There will be some traveling and relaxing in his future, he said as he and his wife exited the board room at the district office.

Superintendent Mickey Myers said the board is accepting applications to fill Posey’s seat until an election in November 2018. The board expects to appoint an interim member later this month. Its next meeting is Jan. 23.

At some point over the years, Lincoln County’s election rotation got out of sync with the rest of the state when it came to terms and elections of school board members.

The District 5 election should have been held in 2014, but Posey was elected the second time in 2010, and his term started in 2011.

Posey’s term expired at the end of 2016, but if an election was held for District 5 in November 2016, that seat would remain out of sync with the rest of the state.

In August, board attorney Jim Keith met with Attorney General Jim Hood to come up with a proposed solution. When a board member’s term expires, the board will appoint someone to fill the vacancy until the correct election date, Myers said.

District 1 and 2 seats will be appointed when those terms expire in 2019. District 3 and 4 seats will be appointed in 2022.

Those interested in serving as an appointee for District 5 until an election can be held in 2018 should contact the Lincoln County School District at 601-835-0011. Those who apply must live in District 5.

In other business:

• Officers were approved for 2017: Kay Coon, president; Ricky Welch, vice president, and Diane Gill, secretary.

• The board accepted the resignation of West Lincoln coach Charlie Jackson, effective at the end of the 2016-2017 school year.

• The board accepted the resignation of Bogue Chitto teacher Marylou Oswalt, effective Jan. 27.

• The board approved the hiring of Joyce Deer as eighth grade math and algebra teacher at Bogue Chitto to replace Christina Buckley, and to hire Susan Greer as English teacher at Bogue Chitto for the remainder of the 2016-2017 school year to replace Oswalt.

• The board approved a dance team at West Lincoln Attendance Center, to be directed by Janice Davis and Kellee Smith.

• The board entered into an executive session to discuss a personnel matter. No action was taken when they came out of the 55-minute closed-door meeting.