Two months after putting out the call for a new board member, the Lamar County School District Board of Trustees has made its choice in Lance LeFan.
LeFan was sworn in to the District D position at the board’s May 9 regular meeting. He will fill the remaining term of former District D representative Matt Mayo, who recently accepted a job position in the Jackson/Rankin County area.
“I’m really honored,” LeFan said. “I think as far as the environment we’re in today, it’s a challenge – I understand it’s going to be a challenge – but it’s also going to be very rewarding.
“It’s going to be a lot of work, but I look forward to jumping in with the current board members, who have done an excellent job. I’m just relying on their seniority on the board to kind of point me in the right direction and get me started.”
District D runs just north of Bellevue and takes in some of the Oak Grove area before running south toward Purvis. Before the recent redistricting of school board zones, the district stretched from the Pine Ridge area north to Bellevue.
“I’ve actually got 14-year-old twins, who are in the middle school here at Oak Grove, and they’ve been in the school district out here for nine years,” LeFan said. “So I’ve watched them grow, and watched the dedication of the teachers and administrators that have just poured into their life through education through the first nine years.
“So (my motivation to serve) is a combination of that, but it’s also a combination of giving back to the community and just serving. Currently, with the environment that we’re in – and you see the news with things going on with school boards and curriculum and things – so it’s about giving back to the community that has poured into my kids.”
LeFan plans to run in the upcoming election, which will be held in November, for a full stint on the board.
LeFan grew up in Hattiesburg and graduated from Hattiesburg High School in 1987. From there, he attended the University of Southern Mississippi, where he earned a degree in criminal justice with a minor in forensic science.
He has worked for the last 26 years for Farm Bureau Insurance, where he serves as a fraud investigator. LeFan and his wife Karla, who is an English teacher in the Petal School, live with their children in the Oak Grove area.
“I’m excited about him joining our board,” said Steven Hampton, superintendent of the Lamar County School District. “He’s a long-time Oak Grove resident, so he’s from this area and has deep ties to this community.
“He’s well-respected in our community, and he has worked with the schools in other capacities – volunteering and doing some things with our athletic programs. So I’m just excited about having him on board; just his skillset, I think, is going to serve our district well.”