Bibb school board welcomes two new members

The Bibb County Board of Education welcomed two new faces and said goodbye to two outgoing members on Thursday night. Tom Hudson and Jason Downey attended their last meeting, after serving on the board for 12 years and four years, respectively.

Sundra Woodford and Bob Easter, the newest members, and Ella Carter, Thelma Dillard, Susan Sipe and Lester Miller were sworn in by Bibb County Probate Court Judge Sarah Harris.

“Four years ago, when a group of us came on the board, the school system in a lot of people’s eyes had been left for dead,” said Downey, who represented District 6. “I think over the past four years we’ve moved the needle, changed the expectation level. We’ve brought strong leadership back to Bibb County. We’ve improved graduation rates.”

Downey pointed to the board being named a quality board by the Georgia School Boards Association last year and a distinguished board this year. He said he hopes the new board reaches that exemplary level.

The district still can do a better job of educating the county’s children and educators, and it needs to get on par with the academic performance levels of surrounding counties, Hudson said.

“It has been a pleasure to represent the people of District 5 and to represent the people of Bibb County. It’s certainly been a roller coaster ride,” he said. “Although I’m leaving the board, I plan to stay in Macon and I will continue to advocate for our children and other environmental influences that contribute to the education and well-being of our children.”

As the new representative for District 6, Easter said he looks forward to working with the Board of Education to put programs and ideas in place and find solutions to help all the children of Bibb County. Woodford hopes to be a voice for the parents and students and to hear their thoughts on ways to make learning exciting.

“I’m just excited to have a lot of the community support,” said Woodford, who now represents District 5. “I think now is a good time and a good opportunity for us to come together so we can see some of those outcomes that we want to see.”

In other news, the board also approved:

• A plan to develop a proposal for a 2017 GEAR UP Grant. The six-year grant provides early intervention to middle school students and follows them throughout their education. The school district received the grant during the 2011-12 school year.

• A purchase order of $300,000 to Pittman Waller Roofing Co. to do roof repair and preventative maintenance at 17 schools.

This story was originally published December 15, 2016 at 8:41 PM with the headline "Bibb school board welcomes two new members."