It was a good year for Bibb County schools, but 2020 could be even better
January is a month when many of us begin making our hopes and dreams for the new year come true. As I reflect on the year past, and think about 2020, I am filled with great hope for the things to come, especially in education for Middle Georgia and the Bibb County School District.
2019 saw Bibb County School District achieve its highest graduation rate ever, its highest College and Career Ready Performance Index (CCRPI) ever; Sonny Carter and Springdale Elementary Schools were designated Distinguished Schools and are among the highest-performing 5% of Title I schools in the state of Georgia; Brookdale Elementary, Burdell-Hunt Elementary, and Miller Magnet Middle Schools are among the greatest-improving 5% of Title I schools in the state. And our school board achieved and was recognized by the Georgia School Boards Association as a Distinguished School Board. So, some good things are happening in Bibb, but I want more in 2020.
Will we have more good things to happen? I remain very hopeful we will. For the first time in many years, the governor’s office and the State School Superintendent are working together to listen, learn and help us improve. How so? The governor and the state school superintendent have traveled the state, and they heard from teachers and staff that public schools are underfunded, so Gov. Kemp fully funded K12 schools (the second year in a row!); they heard principals tell stories of teacher shortages and having long-term substitutes in the classrooms, so Gov. Kemp gave teachers a $3,000 pay raise; they heard superintendents share concerns about student safety, so Gov. Kemp gave each school in the state a $30,000 grant for school security and upgrades.
What am I expecting in 2020? More coordination and collaboration between the governor and the state school superintendent and more communication and cooperation with school superintendents for starters. And I believe it will happen. As superintendent, I and my fellow superintendents have met and shared more with the Governor than at any other time in my 11 years as a superintendent.
The governor is working on a much-needed review of CCRPI. In Bibb, our CCRPI has increased every year, but it does not reflect the hard work our teachers, principals and students are doing. It doesn’t reflect how well Georgia is doing. I hope for a revised CCRPI that is a better reflection of the work being done in Bibb and Georgia. I hope for a CCRPI that continues to hold us accountable but does not hamper our efforts to recruit and retain good teachers.
Additionally, the governor has set about reviewing the Georgia Milestone Standards — a review that includes parents, teachers, central office staff and business leaders. My hope is the resulting standards will be fewer, with better guidance on pacing and priority. And I really hope the standards don’t change a great deal. Our students and teachers have had enough major change. It is time for some tweaking, though.
I know, this is a lot to hope for in 2020, but in 2019 we saw the elimination of 58,000 high-stakes assessments just because we told students who take Advance Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) exams that we will only test them once! Made sense. In 2019 we relooked at the dual enrollment program and are taking actions to keep the parts that are working well and letting the parts that are not working go. So, in 2020, why not expect the rest of the teacher pay raise? Why not expect a better CCRPI? Why not expect curriculum standards that are actionable?
As Jackie Robinson, a great baseball player, once said, “If we walk and talk just a little longer, we can achieve a little more.” My hope is the governor and the state school superintendent keep traveling and talking, so Bibb County Schools can achieve a little more.