The Georgia School Boards Association (GSBA) is recently announced the finalists for the 2019 Governance Team of the Year Award, which includes Dawson County.

The award is presented annually to one Georgia public school district’s board of education and superintendent who have achieved all-around success in their district.  This recognition is deeply rooted in the components of the Georgia Vision Project’s research-based recommendations for Georgia’s public schools.

Finalists are vetted through a rigorous application process and visited by an impartial review team to confirm the information in the application.

“This group of governance team finalists from Georgia sets a high bar for best practices, student achievement and community engagement. We are proud of the accomplishments of these teams and the example they set for all of us.” said Frank Griffin, GSBA President and Chair of the Lee County Board of Education.

The winner will be announced at the GSBA/GSSA Annual Conference at the Renaissance Waverly Hotel in Atlanta on Dec. 4 during a banquet honoring these outstanding governance teams. There were 48 Georgia school districts that qualified and nine that chose to submit applications.

The winner will be chosen by a panel of national experts who perform various leadership roles in the field of public education.

“These nine finalists who have chosen to apply for the GSBA Governance Team of the Year have met stringent criteria and passed a thorough review,” said Valarie Wilson, GSBA Executive Director. “While only one wins, each has exemplified school district success through high functioning governance teams.”

The 2019 GSBA Governance Team of the Year finalists are: Bleckly County, Columbia County, Dade County, Dawson County, Effingham County, Fayette County, Forsyth County, Jefferson City and Oconee County.