This is a press release from Bulloch County Schools.
After three decades of dedicated service to the students, staff, and families of Bulloch County Schools, Superintendent Charles Wilson has announced his retirement, effective March 31, 2026.
Originally from South Carolina, Wilson made Bulloch County his home. His 30-year tenure has been marked by steadfast, transparent financial stewardship, visionary leadership, and a deep commitment to creating opportunities for students through a collaborative approach with high expectations. His long and distinguished career in Bulloch County began as its chief financial officer and assistant superintendent of business services where he served for 16 years. In 2012, he was selected from a pool of 33 applicants to lead the district as superintendent, a position he has held for 14 years.
“It has been my absolute honor to serve the families of Bulloch County,” Wilson said. “I am filled with gratitude as I reflect on my years of service. This community has become part of my heart. You can’t spend decades working side by side with people you care about and not feel deeply connected. Together we’ve overcome challenges, celebrated successes, and built a strong team whose leadership will continue to move our schools and community forward.”
A Legacy of Financial Prudence and Transparency
A Certified Public Accountant, Wilson brought a sharp financial acumen to the school district. He holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from The Citadel and a master’s degree in business administration from Georgia Southern University, later earning a specialist’s degree in education from GSU.
As CFO, Wilson expertly guided the district through a significant major building campaign, utilizing education special purpose local option sales taxes to replace five aging school facilities and six athletic complexes. This foundation of financial planning continued throughout his superintendency, positioning Bulloch County Schools as a model of transparency and efficiency for the state.
Under Wilson’s leadership, the district consistently employed long-term cost reduction strategies and maintained a strong Reserve Fund balance, earning favorable recognition from national bond rating entities and the Georgia Department of Audits and Reports. For over 25 years, the school district has maintained a spotless audit record with no federal or state audit findings. This outstanding commitment to accountability has resulted in the Georgia Department of Audits and Accounts multiple times honoring the Bulloch County Board of Education with the prestigious Award of Distinction for Excellent Financial Reporting, an honor received by fewer than 35 of the state’s 181 public school districts annually.
Wilson’s foresight was instrumental in navigating past and recent economic turbulence. Several years ago, the district strategically utilized a healthy reserve fund balance, built up during the COVID-19 pandemic, to prepare for anticipated post-federal funding inflation. Because of this proactive positioning, the school system successfully addressed those challenges without raising taxes or cutting services until the current fiscal year, when a significant state funding reduction necessitated action.
Facing Fiscal Headwinds with Responsible Action
Recently, a substantial decrease in state equalization funds of $5.9 million (due to increased property values), a $2 million increase in the local fair share required by law, and an estimated $1 million decrease in property tax revenues resulting from HB 581, along with inflationary cost adjustments, projected a deficit of $15 million for Fiscal Year 2027.
To ensure the district could sustain current expenditure levels and maintain adequate cash flow without negatively impacting students, the Board responsibly increased the property tax millage rate to 10.400 mills—still among the lowest in the state. The district will utilize a combination of this property tax revenue increase and over $3 million in budget expenditure reductions to achieve a balanced budget for FY ’27 and beyond. This action follows an intentional strategy by the district, under Wilson’s guidance, to gradually reduce its fund balance down to the superintendent-recommended three months of operating free cash flow.
Principal Autonomy & Teacher Empowerment
Wilson has been an advocate for creating a performance culture inside the school district by providing leadership training, matching faculty skills with district and school needs, and empowering school administrators and teachers to be innovative while supplying them with the data analysis tools and instructional technology they need to make data-driven decisions.
“In the past we operated through a top-down decision making process with isolated individual practices at each of our 15 schools,” Wilson said. “I am proud that we have built a performance culture that embraces excellence, trust, transparency, and accountability. We have empowered our principals and teachers to decide what is best for students by removing barriers. I know that the leadership capacity in this district will continue to find ways through the challenges and provide our students with the opportunities they deserve.”
Wilson also worked with the Board of Education to improve the funding model for the district’s schools and establish locally determined values to fund counseling services, fine arts, physical education, and increased funding for schools with higher rates of children in poverty. This has further given principals the autonomy to make funding decisions that best meet student needs.
Building a Unified District
Wilson became superintendent at a time of immense change, with new state-level mandates for academic standards, teacher effectiveness, and school accountability. One of his first major initiatives was establishing the district’s first ever, community-led strategic plan process to align the district’s goals, vision, mission, and core values from the classroom to the boardroom.
This community collaboration continued with his efforts to forge lasting partnerships to support public education and serve students. The Bulloch County Literacy Council, the REACH Georgia Scholars program, and multiple initiatives with the Development Authority of Bulloch County and local businesses and industry to ensure the district’s career pathways aligned with the state’s and county’s high-demand job fields.
A hallmark of his tenure has been the unwavering effort to foster consistency across all campuses. “We tried to make sure we’re a school district, not a district of schools,” Wilson has often stated, referring to the system-wide push for aligned pacing, curriculum clarity, and cross-curricular teaching—essential for students who frequently move between schools due to their families facing financial challenges.This affects nearly 20 percent of the district’s student population.
Prioritizing Safety
Wilson has also made school safety a paramount concern. Under his leadership, the district held community town hall meetings about school safety, hired a dedicated district safety director, and built a strong partnership with local law enforcement. A key safety milestone was reached this school year with the support of the Bulloch County Sheriff’s Office, ensuring all 15 district schools now have a full-time school resource officer.
Superintendent Wilson’s retirement marks the end of an era defined by fiscal health, academic vision, and enduring commitment to the Bulloch County community.
Next Steps for Board of Education
“Throughout the time that I have known Charles Wilson, both as a CFO and superintendent, he has been laser focused on making sure that Bulloch County was able to provide the resources students would need to be successful,” said Elizabeth Williams, a retired administrator from the school district, who now serves as its Board of Education chairmen.”He has worked hard to make sure that our students can go on to be successful adults.”
The Board of Education has begun its initial planning steps to launch its search for the next superintendent to lead the district.
