[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 97 (Tuesday, June 7, 2022)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E583-E584]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               IN RECOGNITION OF DR. CURTIS L. JONES, JR.

                                  _____
                                 

                      HON. SANFORD D. BISHOP, JR.

                               of georgia

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 7, 2022

  Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor, commend, 
and extend my congratulations to a gifted educator, dedicated community 
leader, and great team builder, Dr. Curtis L. Jones, Jr. Dr. Jones 
retired from his role as Superintendent of the Bibb County, Georgia 
School District, and a retirement celebration was held on Friday, May 
27, 2022, at The Macon Coliseum located at 200 Coliseum Drive in Macon, 
Georgia.
  Born to the union of Reverend Curtis L. Jones and Mrs. Roberta 
Prescott Jones, Dr. Jones earned his bachelor's degree at the United 
States Military Academy at West Point and went on to complete a 
distinguished military career in the U.S. Army, retiring as a 
Lieutenant Colonel. He earned a Master of Business Administration from 
Albany State University in Albany, Georgia, an Education Specialist 
Degree from Lincoln Memorial University, and a doctorate in Educational 
Leadership from Nova Southeastern University.
  For nearly two decades, Dr. Jones has been an effective and trusted 
leader in multiple roles in public education administration in the 
state of Georgia. He established an impressive career beginning as a 
JROTC instructor with the Griffin-Spalding County School System in 
Griffin, Georgia, moving to the positions of High School Principal, 
Assistant Superintendent, and thereafter, Superintendent of Schools.
  On April 6, 2015, he became Superintendent of the Bibb County School 
District in Macon, Georgia, and worked tirelessly with teachers, 
administrators, and other support staff to transform the students of 
Bibb County into scholars, leaders, and good citizens. While leading 
the Bibb County School District, Dr. Jones has worked to enhance 
literacy and classroom learning through the development of a District 
Literacy Plan, which led to student growth on the Georgia Milestones 
Assessments. He led two voter-approved Education Special Purpose Local 
Option Sales Tax (ESPLOST) campaigns, which funded the opening of six 
new school buildings and countless school renovation projects. His 
commitment to equity motivated him to secure major technology 
improvements assuring that every child has equal access to high-quality 
technology resources. During his tenure as Superintendent, the Bibb 
County School District has made great gains in improving its graduation 
rate from 58.9 percent in 2014 to 80.67 percent in 2021.
  Under his exceptional leadership, the District has received Georgia's 
College Board Linking Award for having more than 80 percent of juniors 
and seniors utilizing Khan Academy for SAT preparation (2017); the 
Digital School District Survey Award for Large Student Population 
Districts category, and along with its Board of Education has been 
named both a Distinguished and Exemplary Board by the Georgia School 
Boards Association (2018). Bibb County was featured in The District 
Management Journal, in an article titled ``Raising Achievement and 
Addressing Equity at Bibb County Schools'' and as a case study with K-
12 Insight for its work in improving stakeholder communications through 
its use of the Let's Talk! platform. In addition to these achievements, 
seven schools have achieved Leader in Me Lighthouse School status 
(2022), and the District has achieved accreditation from AdvancED, (now 
Cognia), with two schools--Skyview and Carter Elementary Schools, being 
recognized as National Elementary and Secondary Education Act Title I 
Schools of Distinction.
  Dr. Jones' leadership has made a tremendous impact on the many 
educators and administrators in the District, as numerous leaders and 
staff members have been recognized at the state and national levels, 
and have been invited to serve as leading panelists and make 
presentations on how Bibb has demonstrated success.
  Winston Churchill once said: ``You make your living by what you get, 
you make your life by what you give.'' Dr. Curtis L. Jones, Jr. has 
given so much to the Bibb County School District, its educators, its 
administrators, and most importantly, its students. He has cast a wide 
net in his service as an educator, and Bibb County, our state, and our 
nation are better because of his work.
  In addition to his work for the Bibb County School District, Dr. 
Jones is engaged in numerous professional and community organizations 
including the Rotary Club of Macon and the Kiwanis Club of Macon. He 
serves on several community boards including those for the Greater 
Macon Chamber of Commerce and the United Way of Central Georgia. He is 
a past governing board member for The School Superintendents 
Association (AASA) and past president of the Georgia School 
Superintendents Association (GSSA).
  For his work in educational leadership and administration, Dr. Jones 
has received several

[[Page E584]]

awards and commendations including the President's Award from the 
Georgia School Superintendents Association (2021); the Bill Barr 
Leadership Award (2016); the AdvancED Excellence in Education Award 
(2018); and the 2019 Georgia Superintendent of the Year award. He was 
named one of four finalists for 2019 National Superintendent of the 
Year by The School Superintendents Association (AASA) and the 2019 
National Superintendent of the Year at AASA's National Conference on 
Education.
  Dr. Jones has accomplished much in his life, but none of this would 
have been possible without the Grace of God and the love and support of 
his wife, Evelyn, their three children, and grandchildren. Their 
support has, no doubt, been the wind beneath his wings.
  Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues in the House of Representatives to 
join my wife, Vivian, and me along with the more than 730,000 people of 
the Second Congressional District, in honoring, commending, and 
extending our sincerest appreciation and best wishes to Dr. Curtis L. 
Jones, Jr. upon the occasion of his retirement from an outstanding 
career in Elementary and Secondary Education Administration and his 
continued service to humanity.

                          ____________________