Facing $20.7M deficit, Bibb County Schools prioritize teacher salaries in budget

The Bibb County Board of Education remains on schedule with its budget adoption timeline after tentatively approving a fiscal year 2026 budget during a called board meeting Friday.

Board members considered three proposed budget scenarios and voted 7–1 to adopt a preliminary version that eliminates several new positions intended to support students, while preserving a 3% salary increase for certified staff.

The approved budget option removes proposed positions, including a K–5 English language arts coordinator, a truancy specialist and media clerks. It also removed potential staff reclassifications. But it keeps the implementation of a classified salary study, which district officials say supports efforts to recruit and retain educators

The selected budget reduces the district’s projected deficit to $20.7 million — about $1 million less than the shortfall faced if the initial recommendation presented by Superintendent Dan Sims last week had been adopted. That proposal failed in a split vote.

Votes on the other two budget options — one that included all proposed new positions and raises, and another that excluded only the reclassifications — failed Friday. Although several board members voiced concerns about the remaining option, it ultimately passed.

Ahead of the vote, discussions focused on fiscal responsibility. Several board members reiterated previously raised concerns about adding new positions while facing a significant deficit.

Chief Financial Officer Eric Bush presented a 10-year history overview of the district’s general fund, showing that while deficits are projected early in the year, unspent funds often replenish the balance by year’s end — aiming to reassure board members about long-term fiscal stability.

Daryl Morton said he found that message off-putting, as he struggled to understand why the district’s fund balance is going in a negative direction when they’re already facing a deficit.

“I understand that there’s history that we have more money later on that allows us to do deal with these deficits,” Morton said. “I don’t think it’s good fiscal policy to say, ‘Well, we save some money, so now we can spend some,’ particularly when we’ve got a $21 million hole, and we don’t know what’s going to happen in the future.”

Board member Lisa Garrett-Boyd emphasized the importance she saw in adding new roles for the truancy specialist and the K–5 English language arts coordinator to combat chronic absenteeism and low literacy rates.

“Our children are struggling to read on grade level by third grade,” said Garrett-Boyd, who supported the first budget option. “We’ve seen large numbers of children that are still at the beginning level of the Georgia Milestone even at the fifth-grade level over and over again.”

Board member Henry Ficklin stressed the financial realities guiding the decision-making process.

“This is not about justifying what is needed and what we want to happen. This is a money issue, this is a dollar issue,” he said. “We don’t have any additional money. We are in the hole $21 million, and a general fiscal responsible tactic is that you don’t add money.”

Sims supported the budget option that included the new positions, describing them as essential to meeting student needs. He urged board members to weigh the district’s long-term goals against its immediate fiscal constraints.

“If we say these are our needs, what are we willing to surrender in exchange for those needs?” Sims asked.

Sims emphasized the urgency of addressing current challenges rather than delaying action.

“I’m guaranteed to be here only through 2028,” he said. “So, for me to kick the can down the road, in terms of what I see as your superintendent, are in need is me deferring a whole year of my employment—and that makes me uncomfortable. What I present to you is a right-now, needs-based budget.”

The board’s vote on the budget with new staff failed, leading to the remaining options.

Required public hearings on the tentative budget adoption will take place in June. The board must adopt a final budget by June 30.

Once tax digest information is available, the board will reconvene to consider potential millage rate adjustments, which would affect property taxes.

This story was originally published May 23, 2025 at 2:38 PM.