Bibb County Schools Superintendent Curtis Jones announces June retirement
Bibb County School District Superintendent Dr. Curtis L. Jones announced he planned to retire at the end of the school year during a board of education meeting Thursday evening.
A retired U.S. Army lieutenant colonel, Jones was the district’s seventh leader in five years when he was hired in 2015, taking the reins of a district struggling with the aftermath of Romain Dallemand’s tumultuous two-year term.
Jones shepherded Bibb County Schools through those challenges and emphasized improving the district’s graduation rate, reading comprehension and teacher pay. He was named the Georgia and National Superintendent of the Year in 2019.
“I truly enjoyed my seven years as superintendent here at Bibb,” Jones wrote in a letter he read to the board. “During that time we accomplished a great deal of things I will look back on with much pride. This would not have been possible without a very supportive board, a great senior cabinet, outstanding administrators, some of the best teachers and staff in Georgia and, of course, our students, our parents and our community.
“I will forever remember the people and experiences we shared. My last day will be June 30, 2022. Between now and then, I will continue to work to make this the best year possible for the district.”
Board president Daryl Morton thanked Jones for his service and for giving the board time to search for a successor.
“The progress [during your tenure] has been tremendous; it’s night and day,” he said. “You’ve always been very good about giving credit to other people, but as someone very wise said, it’s hard for an organization to be better than its leadership. You came during a verry difficult time where a lot of people wouldn’t have been willing to take on the challenge. Thank you for all you’ve done.”
Over the past 18 months, Jones has led Bibb County Schools through the COVID-19 pandemic as the district implemented remote learning and provided hotspots and meals to students last spring. The district postponed the start of in-person classes to the fall 2020 and then returned to virtual education when coronavirus cases spiked in January and this past month.
“His commitment to servant leadership and teamwork has established that foundation that will help our district continue to flourish for years to come,” Macon-Bibb County Mayor Lester Miller said following Jones’ 2019 award, back when Miller served as the board of education president.
Jones’ employment contract with the district was slated to end in June 2022.
Jones began his career in education as a JROTC instructor for Griffin-Spalding County schools before becoming a high school principal and later assistant superintendent and superintendent there.
He has a master’s degree in business administration from Albany State College, a specialist degree in educational leadership from Lincoln Memorial University and a doctorate in educational leadership from Nova Southeastern University.
Jones is married to Evelyn, a retired elementary school principal, and they have three children and three grandchildren, according to the district’s website.
Jones will join former Bibb County CFO Ron Collier in recent retirements at he administrative level. Affectionately known as “Money Man,” Collier began his career with the district after working for the Telegraph from 1989 to 1996.
This story was originally published September 16, 2021 at 7:24 PM.
