Curtis Jones, a U.S. Army veteran who has led Georgia’s Bibb County school system since 2015, has been named the 2019 AASA National Superintendent of the Year.
Other finalists for the honor were Jeff Butts of the Metropolitan school district in Indianapolis; Mary Ann Ranells of the West Ada Joint School District #2 in Meridian, Idaho; and Brian Woods of the Northside Independent school district in San Antonio.
Reading and literacy have been a key focus for Jones since he took over the reins of the district. He’s also worked to forge strong ties with community partners to support district initiatives.
Jones also set his eyes on boosting the district’s graduation rate to 90 percent by 2025. It has risen from 58.9 percent in 2014, the year before Jones took the helm in Bibb County, to 78.5 percent last year.