Macon school board extends superintendent contract until 2028. ‘Making a lot of progress’

Bibb County School District Superintendent Dan Sims has been given another three years in his role by the board of education.

The Bibb County Board of Education approved in a 7-1 vote a renewal for Superintendent Dan Sims’ contract on Thursday, extending his leadership position to July 2028.

Sims was not in attendance at the meeting.

The lone opposition was board member Daryl Morton, who said his concerns about issues in the district have made him reluctant to approve Sims’ full contract extension.

“The basic highlight for me right now is that our system is on a one-year probation from the state department of education because of the increase in the number of federally identified schools,” Morton said.

Eight Bibb County schools were federally identified as schools needing improvement, according to the latest Comprehensive Support and Improvement list announced in January. It’s a jump from the 2022 list of five Macon schools.

Sims shared with state school officials in June that 11 schools are now on the list.

Schools on that improvement list are identified as the state’s lowest-performing 5% of Title I schools.

Although Morton said he supports Sims and his new team’s efforts to address low academic performance in the district, he favored only a two-year contract renewal.

Other board members favored keeping Sims on longer, and praised his “love for the kids.”

Juawn Jackson cited his past vote to hire Sims in 2022 as one of the best decisions he made during his tenure as a board member.

“Joy is back in the Bibb County School District. I’m just proud of the work that we have done over these past years to move us to the next level,” Jackson said, highlighting recent district accomplishments, such as increased graduation rates and Georgia Milestones test scores.

Board members Myrtice Johnson and Kristin Hanlon also supported stretching Sims’ leadership position as the district still works to implement its five-year strategic plan, which focuses on student achievement, stakeholder engagement and staff effectiveness.

“Rome wasn’t built in a day, and we can’t expect this school system to move in a day,” Johnson said after mentioning that Sims has only been with the district for nearly three years. “While the school system is not where we want it to be academically, we’re making a lot of progress.”

In the district’s “The Board Brief” newsletter, Board President James Freeman said that the they look forward to continuing the vision embodied in the strategic plan.

The contract states that Sims’ annual base salary of $262,500 will begin on July 2025. That salary will increase to $275,625 starting Jan. 1, 2027, according to records obtained through an open records request.

Sims was appointed superintendent of the BCSD on May 10, 2022, and sworn into office in June 2022. He followed the retirement of former Superintendent Curtis Jones.

This story was originally published November 22, 2024 at 10:08 AM.