Asberry Recognized for 20 Years of Service
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Longtime Vidalia Board of Education member Bruce Asberry participated in his last meeting on the Board on Tuesday, December 12, and was recognized by Superintendent Garrett Wilcox, Assistant Superintendent Sandy Reid, and his fellow Board members for his 20 years of service.
“I’m looking forward to doing some other things, but it’s bittersweet because I have spent 20 years serving the community, and I enjoyed every minute of it,” Asberry commented. “I just hope and pray that I’ve done well. My goal in life is that these kids will be able to look back and say, ‘I remember when he was there,’ or ‘I remember when he did this or that to help.’ That was my goal when I first started, and I hope I have done that well.”
Asberry said that things have not changed much in the past 20 years of service. “Rules and regulations have changed throughout the years with legislation stuff. It’s stayed mostly the same, though, in that we serve – that’s what we’re here to do, and that’s never changed,” he added.
He reassured that although he would not be on the Board any longer, he will continue to be around to support the School System and students.
Superintendent Garrett Wilcox said of Asberry, “This is probably as much about servant leadership as any other elected position in the county. We’ve mentioned many times that there is no compensation financially for being a Vidalia City School Board member, and Bruce has done that for 20 years. In my mind, that is really one of the most selfless acts of anybody serving our community today. “The one thing I’ll say is Bruce was the same person every day – whether it was good or bad. The one thing that he always had was the best interest for our kids, and he was a champion for our paraprofessionals. Sometimes, they would go forgotten, but Bruce always kept us in check and made sure that they got the recognition and whatever we could give that he felt like they deserved,” he continued. “Bruce, I appreciate you as a person more than you know. We appreciate everything you’ve done, and I’m going to miss you. We appreciate your service.”
Asberry’s vacancy will be filled by Brittany Black, who defeated Asberry in the November 7 municipal election with a 128-114 vote. Black will be sworn in at the first regular meeting of the Board in January.
During the meeting, the Board also approved the renewal of its donation agreement with the Ohoopee Regional Library System. The School District will donate $10,000 to the library for the upcoming year. The resignations of bus driver Raymond Collins, bus driver Carla Carmouche, and Plant Operations Director Russell Burkett were all accepted. The Board authorized the hiring of Vidalia High School P.E. teacher and coach (at 49%) Britt Ingle, Vidalia High School Guidance secretary Tia Coney, and J.D. Dickerson primary School teacher Tracy Tapley.
The Board renewed the Charter System contract for the school system, and adopted the 2023/2024 school calendar, which may be reviewed on the District website. Board officers were also voted on, with the naming of Julee Torrance as Board chair, Andy Blount as Board vice chair, and Sadia Ajohda as Board parliamentarian.
