Bibb school board moves $283 million budget forward

Bibb County school employees are inching closer to a pay raise.

The Board of Education tentatively adopted the 2017-18 budget on Tuesday night. The proposal includes $2.7 million for a one-time, incentive-based bonus of up to 2 percent for full-time employees.

It also accounts for up to $3.2 million to readjust employees’ salaries so they are more in line with comparable districts.

The district still has to conduct two public hearings, scheduled for 6 p.m. June 6 and 13 at the board office on Mulberry Street. The final vote on the budget should happen at the board’s monthly meeting at 4 p.m. June 15. The budget information will be posted on the district’s website by Wednesday.

About $283 million in total expenditures is budgeted for the upcoming year, which is up $1.3 million or .5 percent from the 2016-17 year. The plan does not include a change to Bibb’s property tax rate, which the board raised 2-mill to 19.945 a year ago.

“This budget does not call for any type of millage increase,” said Ron Collier, the district’s chief financial officer. “It’s not calling for one even when you go out five years.”

The district plans to add 31 more teachers to reduce class sizes, 22 medical technicians for the elementary schools, eight more paraprofessionals to cover in-school suspension at elementary schools, and 12 certified teachers to handle in-school suspension at the middle and high schools, according to the budget presentation.

In addition, two executive officers to supervise the district’s principals and four behavior interventionists have been recommended. The budget also includes a teacher retirement pension rate increase from 14.27 to 16.81 percent.

The board also approved:

▪  The purchase of 500 Dell teacher workstations for more than $400,000 to replace the district’s oldest laptops. This is phase one of three to replace all the computers as they reach the end of their warranties, said Rose Powell, the district’s executive director of technology services.

▪  The purchase of 210 Dell laptops and seven computer carts for Northeast High School for almost $125,000, using School Improvement Grant funding.

This story was originally published May 23, 2017 at 8:30 PM with the headline "Bibb school board moves $283 million budget forward."