Youngest member, longtime educator both get sendoff from Bibb County education board

Two Bibb County Board of Education members were honored and sent off on Thursday at a packed board meeting that featured long, heartfelt tributes about how they had impacted the lives of community residents.

Longtime educator and board member Thelma Dillard was honored for serving over 50 years in the Bibb County School District, including 12 years on the board and 44 years as an educator before retirement. Dillard has been making differences in the community since she was 9 years old, she said.

Rooted in a legacy of activism, Dillard’s family helped desegregate the Bibb County School District. Her brother, Bert Bivins III, was the first Black student to break racial barriers in the district, according to The Telegraph archives. In 1967, Dillard founded Lambda Phi Local Teenage Sorority, a sorority that allowed Black girls like her younger sister, Shirley, who were attending integrated schools, to join.

“Dr. Dillard’s heart of education and equality did not just begin as she served on the school board,” Deputy Superintendent Katika Lovett said. “Her dedication reaches back to her childhood under the guidance of her prominent mother, Hester Bivens ... ”

Jason Downey, a former Bibb County Board of Education member and current state board of education member, fought back tears as he recalled Dillard as more than an educator— but “a dear friend.”

“We should all be so lucky to have a Dr. Thelma Dillard in our lives,” Downey said, emphasizing her “dynamic” leadership during the school system’s turbulent times.

Macon-Bibb County Mayor Lester Miller, also a former board member for the district, shared heartfelt stories about his close relationship with Dillard before presenting her with a key to the city and a resolution that established Dec. 19, 2024, as “Dr. Thelma D. Dillard Day” in Macon.

“I want to thank you for coming into my life,” Miller said to Dillard. “Whatever God did to put us together back in 2011, I thank him for that. I’m a better person because of meeting you.”

Dillard expressed gratitude toward all of the board members, thanking them individually for their distinctive contributions. She also thanked the attendees for the support after recalling her time on the board.

“I just want to say thank you,” Dillard said. “I’m just a servant, and I just want to help people, and I’ve had the opportunity to do that here (in the district) ... I’m grateful for the opportunity to have served with these wonderful people around the school board.”

Dillard served her three-term limit, or 12 years on the board, two of which she served as school board president.

Youngest BCSD BOE member leaves

At 26 years old, Juawn Jackson was the youngest member to be elected and serve on the district’s board of education.

Jackson sat on the board for four years, or one full term, and represented District 4. He ran for Georgia State House representative District 145, which includes Macon-Bibb County, but lost in the May 2024 election. Jackson is currently the director of the Educational Opportunity Center at Mercer University.

“I just hope that I’ve done some good,” Jackson said at the meeting. “As a young leader, it’s hard to be taken seriously. It’s hard to be seen as equal…but through it all, I’ve learned to trust in God … and ‘do the right thing because it’s the right thing to do.’”

In a heartfelt video, BCSD Superintendent Dan Sims said he was proud of having the opportunity to work with Jackson, who he believes shares his passion to do what’s best for Macon students.

Jackson said, “To the new board members coming in, I pray that you do the right things because it’s the right thing to do.” He said he does expect to stay involved and engaged with the school district because, “It’s the right thing to do.”

New board members Henry Ficklin, District 2; and Barney Hester, District 4, were recognized and sworn in to office on Thursday for a four-year service term beginning January 1.

Current board members Myrtice Johnson, District 1; Kristin Hanlon, District 3; Dr. Sundra Woodford, District 5; and James Freeman, District 6 were also sworn in to office. All members were elected during the May 2024 elections.

The remaining two Board of Education seats are elected on an alternate election cycle. These board members include Daryl Morton, at-large, Post 7; and Dr. Lisa Garrett-Boyd, at-large, Post 8.

This story was originally published December 20, 2024 at 10:35 AM.