Bibb Board of Education swears in new members

Bibb County swore six school board members into office Tuesday, Jan. 8, including newcomers Thelma Dillard, Jason Downey and Lester Miller.
Incumbent board members Ella Carter, Tom Hudson and Susan Sipe were sworn into office the same afternoon.
Probate Judge Sarah Harris administered the oaths of office during the ceremony, which took place at the Bibb County Courthouse.
The six board members won positions on the eight-member school board in last year’s elections.
The terms for Lynn Farmer and Wanda West, at-large board members, end in 2014.
The board will be working through major issues this year such as the budget, the idea of year-round school and pending litigation against the school system, Downey said in The Telegraph.
He described his swearing-in as a “humbling” process and said he immediately realized after signing his name that “now the work begins.”
Although Jan. 8 marked the day of the official swearing-in ceremony, Miller said he has been attending board meetings and keeping up with the school system’s actions in preparation for his new job on the school board.
Miller said that to him, he has “been working on the school board for several months now.”
The changes to the board are promising, according to Dillard, who said she embraced both the veteran and new members of the board.
Dillard said she looks forward to working toward new solutions for tackling important issues such as school funding and advancement opportunities for teachers.
The Board of Education is already beginning to address the issue of expanding opportunities for teachers.
The Bibb County School District is planning a Teacher Recruitment Fair at Central High School on Feb. 23, an event including on-site interviews and meeting Bibb County school principals.
The Board of Education also began its next round of Discipline Task Force meetings on Thursday, Jan. 17.
The Task Force was created make recommendations to the Superintendent.
The latest meeting provided an opportunity for the District to update the community on recent improvements to discipline and safety.