Community Gets Voice In Bibb County Superintendent Search

MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – The Bibb County School System continued its search for a superintendent tonight, and invited the community to help out.

“This board wants to do it right,” said Susan Sipe.

And doing it right, starts with being transparent.

“…meetings like what we had tonight I think are very important,” said Sipe.

Susan Sipe is the Vice President of the Bibb County School Board, which hosted a community forum to give residents a chance to say what they wanted in a new superintendent.

“I saw people saying hey, board members, give us a superintendent that we can admire and that we can look up to,” said Reverend Ronald Terry, who attended the meeting. “And I felt that the board heard all of these people, without a doubt.”

“I believe that our superintendent should have very strong leadership skills,” said Brenda Sutton, who attended the meeting. “I think that our superintendent needs to be able to connect with our teachers and be able to motivate them to excellence, and in turn, our students will learn better.”

And the board heard what community members were saying..

Sipe stressed how important it was for the board to be transparent during this process, and how the board and the bibb county residents needed to work together.

“One of the members said that they hoped the board could do an 8-0 unanimous decision on a new superintendent, and I think this whole board would like to work in that direction,” said Sipe. “I think it’s important for the board, and for this community, for all of us to be on the same page and to find the person that we all feel will be the best choice for our system as well as for our students.”

And Thursday night, the school system took a big step toward doing it right.

The board will meet next week to further discuss a timeline for specific dates during the process, including dates for receiving applications and interviewing applicants.