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Voters on Tuesday appeared to return five incumbents and welcome one new member to the Rockingham County Board of Education.

All results were unofficial and incomplete Tuesday night. All precincts had reported, but early voting tallies were not complete by 11 p.m. (Get the latest results online)

Board Chairwoman Elaine McCollum beat out fellow board member John Smith in District 5, winning 71 percent of the vote. Incumbent Nell Rose defeated Hal Griffin in District 3, taking 56 percent of the vote.

In District 2, Penny Owens unseated Celeste DePriest, grabbing 70 percent of the vote, and in District 1, board Vice Chairwoman Amanda Bell narrowly defeated Teresa Barham, receiving 51 percent of the vote.

Wayne Kirkman and Tim Scales ran unopposed in Districts 4 and 6, respectively.

"I'm just really thrilled that so many people, after eight years, still want me to continue on the board," said McCollum, a retired teacher. "I think that the public knows that I work very, very hard and that I am willing to listen to anybody in the public."

Owens, who ran for an at-large seat two years ago, said she was excited to be joining the school board.

"I'm looking forward to having a positive change. I really am," she said.

Owens said her presence at school board meetings highlighted her interest in educational issues for constituents.

"I've been going for eight years," Owens said. "I think that makes a difference."

A 2005 law changed the makeup of the school board, and Tuesday's election reduced the board from 13 to 11 members, or six district seats and five at-large seats. Ten candidates sought the six district seats.

One of the biggest issues the new school board will face is one that the current board has grappled with for months now: school construction. Board members have been challenged with finding the money to build or renovate four schools. They have yet to make a decision on what they would like to do with one of those schools, the former all-black Douglass Elementary. Some would like to save a portion of the school for historical reasons; other board members have said it would be too costly and favor building a school.

McCollum said she hopes the board can get focused on the facilities issues while continuing to make improvements on standardized test scores and classroom technology.

Contact Jonnelle Davis at 627-4881, Ext. 126, or jonnelle.davis@news-record.com