COUNTY — Filing is no open for three seats on the Pickens County School Board that will be up for grabs in the November election.

Filing for districts 1, 3 and 5 opened at noon Monday and will run through noon Aug. 15.

District 3 trustee Alex Saitta will be the only incumbent trying to retain his school board seat, as District 5 trustee Judy Edwards has announced she will not seek re-election and longtime District 1 trustee Dr. Herb Cooper passed away on Tuesday after a battle with cancer.

After losing in the Republican primary runoff in a bid for a Pickens County Council seat, Saitta announced he will seek re-election to the school board.

As of early Tuesday afternoon, the only candidate who had filed to run for one of the three seats was Pickens resident Shannon Haskett, who will challenge Saitta for the District 3 seat.

Former Easley High School principal Betty Garrison has also announced her intention to run for the District 5 seat being vacated by Edwards.

The election, set for Nov. 8, will be nonpartisan.

Those looking to declare their candidacy for the school board races must do so at the Pickens County Board of Voter Registration and Elections office at 222 McDaniel Ave. in Pickens during normal business hours.

A $120 filing fee applies, and candidates must complete a Statement of Candidacy Form.