Among the local races voters will weigh on Election Day next Tuesday is the Floyd County School Board District 2 seat.

Retired school teacher David Cox is the incumbent and he cites his experience helping to guide the county school system through years of budget cuts as proof of his accountability.

The Republican also lists the Common Core State Standards initiative, high school rigor, the implementation of state high school exit exams as three of his concerns.

“This will give parents and teachers an excellent evaluation tool,” Cox said of the latter.

His challenger for the post is Democrat Everett Ballard, a retired businessman who worked in music and produce. He says his goals are to work with everyone, from the superintendent to the maintenance department, to create a great learning environment for children. His main goal is to empower the faculty by always being available to address their needs.

“It is well known that our schools in Floyd County are doing better than the national average, so that tells me that our faculty is doing a very good job,” Ballard said.