Macon education leaders delay school consolidation vote. Which school most likely to close?

The official vote on a proposed school consolidation scenario in Macon, initially set for April, has been extended after Bibb County Board of Education members raised concerns during last week’s board meeting about long-term impacts and needing more information to make a decision.

The Bibb County School District has reached the fourth and final phase of its exploration into school consolidation for the 2025-2026 academic year. This phase included developing an implementation plan and informing stakeholders of the final decision in April, with logistical preparations set to begin in May, according to school officials.

But after listening to a months-long review of gathered data and stakeholder feedback on Thursday, several board members requested more details on financial implications, such as potential cost savings and transportation challenges for the district, and more time to consider the data.

“[The appendix] doesn’t mention the transportation costs, and to me, that’s a significant cost when you’re looking at cost savings of consolidation,” board member Barney Hester said. “A significant expense is increased transportation, especially for neighborhood schools where you have a large walking population. Are we trading apples for oranges here and going to end up in the same boat?”

BCSD Deputy Superintendent Katika Lovett said the district is considering school closures due to declining student enrollment and underutilized buildings.

BCSD has experienced a decrease of about 1,200 students from 2018 to the current school year, said Thelron Pleas of Towering Your Success, an educational consulting firm.

To address those issues and save money, the district proposed five potential scenarios: three involving consolidation of elementary schools and two non-consolidation options that include reassigning zone boundaries for identified schools.

Board member Kristin Hanlon said she hopes district officials consider transportation issues and their impact on families when evaluating school rezoning, particularly for the merger of Porter Elementary, Skyview Elementary and Heard Elementary schools.

Board member Henry Ficklin said he wants law enforcement involved in the consolidation proposals, noting that different gangs in various communities could cause trouble if merged.

“So, we’ve really got to be practical and understand what kind of communities we are looking at and what’s going on in those communities,” Ficklin said, calling for the district to consider additional factors in its proposed scenarios.

Board member Sundra Woodford said she wanted to understand what not moving forward with any consolidation proposal would look like.

“If we leave our schools as is, what does that mean?” Woodford asked.

Williams Elementary most likely to be closed

The district developed a consolidation matrix, a tool for measuring the feasibility of consolidating a school during its analysis. The consolidation matrix evaluates schools using seven criteria: student enrollment, building utilization, per pupil spending, facility age, future growth, Georgia Department of Education target size and specialized academic programs.

Schools scoring in the 0-4 point range are likely candidates for consolidation, schools scoring 5-9 points are possible candidates and schools scoring 10-14 points are less likely to be considered.

Pleas emphasized that the scores are not the final decision-makers for school consolidation.

L.H. Williams Elementary, the only school with zero points, is the most likely candidate for a preliminary consolidation scenario. The school’s current enrollment falls below state standards, and its building utilization is below the district’s average, according to district data.

This is the second time the elementary school has faced closure threats within a decade.

During public comments, Edward Foster begged the board to reconsider Williams Elementary’s potential closure, citing that it may damage the historic Pleasant Hill community and its students.

“One thing that stood out to me as they presented the different scenarios…was the lack of thought for the children about what their situation is going to look like,” Foster said. “... Why are we doing this? All I heard was finance, finance, finance…I ask you all to pretend that these are your children being moved, and for what?”

One of the consolidation scenarios includes merging L.H. Williams Elementary with Ingram-Pye and Hartley Elementary schools.

Ficklin said the merge is not logical and that the district is overlooking two schools already located near Williams Elementary.

“Was there any consideration given to put those kids in (Alexander II Magnet School) or (Vineville Academy), and if there wasn’t, why? They’re the closest schools to them. I mean, they can ride a bicycle to those two schools, but bringing them all the way to Anthony Road is really far-fetched,” Ficklin said. “We’ve got to deal with this correctly.”

What’s next?

With the extended timeline, Lovett intends to present more financial data to answer questions at the next board meeting in April, a spokesperson for the district said.

This will also include preparing comparisons of consolidation and non-consolidation options, including operational and student impact considerations, according to the district’s consolidation presentation.

Watch the Bibb County School District’s board meeting on YouTube or visit the district’s website for more updates on its consolidation review process.