ATLANTA, Ga. - The Dougherty County Board of Education has again been named an “Exemplary” board by the Georgia School Boards Association (GSBA) at the organization’s Annual Conference in Atlanta.
The Exemplary status is the GSBA’s highest designation for school boards.
The recognition program is designed to showcase best practices in school governance and leadership. GSBA recognizes good school board governance to foster educational community cultures in order to advance student learning and achievement.
This board has played a critical role in helping the district navigate a response to COVID-19, and helped the district amass its largest-ever general fund reserve all while rolling back property tax rates five of the last six years. Board members have also worked with Superintendent Kenneth Dyer to oversee the academic improvement of students within the district, with the district’s four-year high school graduation rate reaching 88% — an all-time district high and above the state average.
The GSBA Governance Team Recognition Program was developed by Georgia superintendents and board members based on the state board of education’s standards for effective governance to recognize exemplary leadership.
The three-tiered program looks at various aspects of how school boards govern to ensure that the boards remain effective, efficient and accountable to the constituents they serve. Boards can apply to become either a Quality, Distinguished or Exemplary board, through GSBA’s recognition process. It’s the second straight year the Dougherty County Board of Education has earned the designation.
In 1998, the Georgia School Boards Association was one of the first school board associations in the nation to develop a program of standards for local boards of education.