$1.2M in cost savings cover, restore summer school programs in Macon

After previously deciding to end credit recovery for high school students during summer school, then signaling the program’s return, Bibb County School District leaders on Thursday outlined an expanded slate of summer learning options and a budget amendment that uses state funds to support the effort.

The Bibb County Board of Education approved a fiscal year 2026 general fund budget amendment projecting a revised ending fund balance of $48,113,232.

The amendment was changed after board members last month removed a related line item and requested more specific cost reductions to address the district’s $5.5 million budget shortfall.

“We are bringing back the $1.275 million that was amended from the last budget amendment and reducing our expenditures by $1.275 million to support our summer program using the money we received from the state poverty grant,” Chief Financial Officer Eric Bush said at the meeting.

Bush said the amendment includes two components tied to funds from the Georgia Department of Education.

The first allows the district to expand summer learning opportunities while reducing program costs. Expenses decreased by $1.275 million due to additional state funds received during the year that will now cover those programs, Bush said.

The second component made midyear adjustments to state grant revenues and expenditures to reflect actual allocations, Bush said. Total revenues are $736,537 and total expenditures are $768,250, resulting in a net expenditure increase of $31,713, according to an action memo presented at the board meeting.

Another memo said the district reduced costs associated with its Summer Opportunity Program for the current school year and also plans to use additional state funding to cover expenses.

Board member Henry Ficklin asked if the state funding Bush referred to was tied to grants previously issued to support students living in poverty and to expand mental health services for them.

While reviewing the district’s $5.5 million budget shortfall last month, Ficklin previously questioned redirecting state grant money and said he could not support using funds meant to help children for other purposes.

Bush confirmed the funds come from the poverty grant but are separate from the $280,000 mental health grant.

Superintendent Dan Sims said that the funds to support economically disadvantaged students can be used for summer learning under state guidance.

“One of the critical things for that money was to identify one of the areas where there are allowable expenses, one being summer learning, so we already communicated with the state department of education in terms of our intentions,” Sims said.

The board approved the amendment in a 7-1 vote, with Ficklin casting the lone dissenting vote.

BCSD spokesperson Stephanie Hartley said the district’s summer camps, enrichment programs, learning initiatives and other activities will be funded through multiple sources, including the general fund budget, the poverty grant and the GEAR UP grant, among others.

Summer school options for Macon students

At the Feb. 19 Bibb County Board of Education meeting, officials detailed the “Push for Success Summer Learning” plan, which will offer opportunities to more than 6,000 targeted students across four tracks: enrichment, acceleration, extension and career exploration.

Assistant superintendent of Teaching and Learning Ethel Lett said the district’s goal is to make sure “each student can say that Bibb County School District has something for me.”

Lett said summer learning is part of a “culture of year-round learning” and ensuring all students are prepared.

Programs will run from June 1 to July 2 and are free to families.

Transportation, breakfast and lunch will be provided for in-person options. Chromebooks will be available for checkout so that students can access online tools at home.

Based off district recommendations, families will ultimately decide the best fit for their children, Lett said.

• Push for Success Summer Academy is for K–3 students identified as needing extra support in literacy and math, based on benchmark data. The program will run from June 1 to June 25, with in-person instruction for invited students only.
• Powering Excellence: The Final Push will help counselor-selected seniors recover missing credits and qualify for summer graduation. The program will virtually run from June 1 to June 25.
• The Gear Up Summer Camp is for rising eighth- and ninth-graders, providing targeted support for students currently participating in the Gear Up cohort. The in-person program will run from June 1 to June 25.
• The Push Ahead Achievement Program is a self-paced online option for students in grades 1–8 using digital platforms, open to any student whose family signs out a device and technology agreement if needed.

More summer learning options are on the table and will be shared with families.

Board member Myrtice Johnson praised the expanded scope but asked for clarity on who can participate, especially those K-3 students who are identified as not needing extra help.

Lett said thriving students who want more academic support can still participate in multiple tracks, including enrichment, online acceleration platforms, choice boards and STEAM-related offerings.

Board member Daryl Morton asked about summer credit recovery opportunities for 9th, 10th and 11th-grade students.

Lett said the district’s Right Now Credit Recovery program is available to those students during the school year. The expanded program was announced in December 2025 as a replacement to summer school for high schools, with aim to increase academic check-ins and move students away from relying on summer school.

“It allows us, in the summer, to focus on those students who may not have been eligible for graduation in May and just need one course to graduate in the summer,” Lett said.

The district’s next steps include finalizing the list of eligible students by program, notifying families of available options and finalizing site locations for each summer opportunity.

This story was originally published February 23, 2026 at 5:02 AM.