Special week honors Rockdale County Board of Education

CONYERS, GA– Rockdale County Public Schools (RCPS) is joining in a statewide celebration this week to salute the efforts of local school board members. The week of March 13-17has been proclaimed School Board Appreciation Week in Georgia. The weeklong observance calls attention to the contributions of local boards of education.

“The Rockdale County Board of Education continues to be among the best in the state,” said Superintendent Terry Oatts. “This award-winning Board has earned the Georgia School Boards Association’s Exemplary Board designation for each eligible year, a total of seven times, and has won the Leading Edge Award for the past four consecutive years. We appreciate the work of our Board to provide the resources needed to support the academic, social, emotional, and behavioral needs of our students and staff. We are sincerely grateful for the dedication of our Board members who regularly attend district and school events, and continuously strive to make sure RCPS remains a great place to go to teach, lead, and learn.”

Board members are elected to be the community’s voice on education and represent a continuous commitment to local citizen control and decision-making in education.

The men and women serving our school district and their years of service are:

Pamela J. Brown (Chair)                          6 years (January 2017)
Heather Duncan (Vice Chair)                   6 years (January 2017)
Wales Barksdale                                      18 years (January 2005)
Sandra Jackson-Lett                                  4 years (January 2019)
Janie Jones                                                3 months (Jan. 2023)
Mandy North                                             10 years (January 2013)
Akita Parmer                                               2 years  (January 2021)

As constitutional officers of Georgia, school board members are responsible for setting educational policies, employing school personnel, providing buildings and equipment, operating a transportation system and disbursing school funds. As community leaders, school board members serve as advocates for the children in local public schools and must study, evaluate, and decide what actions are in the best interest of those students.

The Georgia School Boards Association (GSBA) sponsors the celebration. The mission of GSBA is to ensure excellence in the governance of local school systems by providing leadership, advocacy, and services, and by representing the collective resolve of Georgia’s 180 elected boards of education. For more information, visit www.gsba.com.