FORSYTH COUNTY — Forsyth County’s school superintendent is among a select group chosen to discuss state policies throughout the year.

Jeff Bearden recently met with the 18 other members of State School Superintendent Richard Woods’s Superintendents’ Advisory Council. The group will continue to meet regularly to help impact educational issues at the local level.

“I am honored to be selected to serve … to represent the students and staff of Forsyth County Schools,” Bearden said. “I find the partnership our district has with our local advisory committees to be invaluable, and I look forward to contributing at the state level to build a stronger public education system.”

Superintendents chosen hailed from urban, suburban and rural districts in every Regional Education Service Agency in Georgia. The 16 statewide RESAs share services to improve the effectiveness of educational programs of member school systems.

“My parent, student and teacher advisory councils have been invaluable in my decision-making,” Woods said in a statement. “But there was no central way to gather the opinions of local superintendents, who frequently deal with the impact of state policies.

“This group is a cross-section of the state of Georgia and will add another facet to our efforts to know what’s happening on the ground level of education, and make decisions accordingly.”