BY PEGGY KING
CORDELE — Until recently, retirement was an ugly word in Judy Bean’s mind.
“I guess the notion was instilled in me by my parents. I was raised not to retire.”
The Crisp County school superintendent’s mother was an educator for more than 50 years, and close members of her family have devoted a total of more than 700 years to education, she says.
As the day for her retirement gets closer, however, Dr. Bean says, “I want to look at the beauty around me. I want to take care of my three grandsons and get to know the tree outside my childhood home.
“I treasure my time here (in Crisp County) and wish the very best for the school system,” but she is excited to be going home.
She and her husband, David are restoring her family home in Colquitt. “I want my grandchildren to know about farm life,” she says.
During her four-year tenure in Crisp County, Dr. Bean says she’s proud to have been able to put a face with the superintendent by being involved in numerous community activities.
She has served as an ex-officio member of the Cordele-Crisp Chamber board of directors and also on boards for the Crisp County Industrial Development Authority and Crisp Health Department.
She is a member of both the Cordele Lions and Kiwanis Clubs and a former Rotary Club member. She and her husband will retain their membership in Lake Blackshear Baptist Church and make the trip back up here to attend church.
Under her supervision, all six schools in Crisp County made AYP (adequate yearly progress) in 2006. She directed the system-wide accreditation process here which culminated this past January in a “glowing report” praising the collaboration of all the schools.
She also developed plans for the construction of a new K-1 elementary school and coordinated a successful special purpose local option sales tax initiative for $25 million.
By proposing closure of the A. S. Clark school building and converting Pate to a pre-school facility, she was able to earn $7 million from the state for the new building project.
That project is on hold at the present time, but is expected to resume when economic conditions improve.
Furthermore, she has led the local schools in school improvement, new innovative programs, needs assessments, GPS curriculum standards and collaboration and team building for all employees, she says.
One of her proudest achievements is increasing the system’s fund balance from $2.5 to $7 million. When she leaves at the end of this month, that balance should be $5.4 million, according to the latest report by the system’s financial secretary.
In spite of the friction that has been evident between Bean and Board of Education members at times during her tenure in Crisp County, she says she has been amazed at the support from the community.
“I feel as though I’ve been under a microscope. I’m lucky that I haven’t made any major mistakes.”
At some point, she adds, the number of board members should be changed to an odd number. She would recommend five members instead of the current six.
