The American Association for School Administrators (AASA) named Bibb County Schools Superintendent Dr. Curtis L. Jones, Jr. the 2019 National Superintendent of the Year Thursday in Los Angeles, Ca.

“Dr. Curtis Jones is an excellent educator and he’s a man of great integrity,” State School Superintendent Richard Woods said. “He has made real strides in Bibb County and exemplifies the work going on in Georgia to prepare students for life. I’m grateful he’s a Georgia educator and I’m proud to call him a friend.”

“This award shows that leadership matters,” Jones told AASA. “I am so humbled. For me, it means that our district is doing the right work. It means that our teachers, our principals have worked hard and are being recognized, not only at the state level but also nationally.”

Jones has served as superintendent in Macon-Bibb County since 2015. His career as an educator began in Griffin-Spalding when he took a role as JROTC instructor in his hometown after retiring from serving as an Army officer for twenty years.

Using his classroom and administrative experiences, he developed the district’s strategic plan, “Victory in Our Schools.” The plan has five goal areas: increasing student achievement; increasing student and stakeholder engagement; increasing teacher and leader effectiveness; being a reliable organization; and learning and growth. This plan drives the district’s continuous improvement efforts through shared accountability for all stakeholders and resource alignment.

AASA’s National Superintendent of the Year program is open to all U.S. superintendents who plan to continue in the profession. The applicants were measured against the following criteria:

• Leadership for learning – creativity in successfully meeting the needs of students in the school system;

• Communication – strength in both personal and organizational communication;

• Professionalism – constant improvement of administrative knowledge and skills, while providing professional development opportunities and motivation to others on the education team; and

• Community involvement – active participation in local community activities and an understanding of regional, national and international issues.

A $10,000 college scholarship will be presented in the name of the 2019 AASA National Superintendent of the Year to a student in the high school from which the superintendent graduated, or the school now serving the same area.