Macon schools face financial pressures, but furloughs not definite ‘at this moment’

Despite facing financial strain as student enrollment declines and costs rise, Bibb County School District leaders said staff furloughs are not officially part of the fiscal year 2027 budget process, despite being listed as an option in a recent district memo.

The issue surfaced Thursday at the Bibb County Board of Education’s monthly meeting, a week after the district’s newsletter listed furloughs among possible cost-cutting options. The information has circulated throughout the community, while district leaders said the measures remain under consideration.

Board member James Freeman said employees contacted him with concerns about needing to look for other jobs. He asked Chief Financial Officer Eric Bush for clarification during Bush’s monthly financial update at the meeting.

“At this point in time … there is not a present recommendation by the district that we furlough staff in any way or that teachers need to be concerned that we’re recommending teachers to be furloughed at this point, is there?” Freeman asked.

“Not at this moment,” Bush said.

Freeman asked whether his understanding of the board brief was correct, viewing it as “potential ways that expenses could be limited, just as the potential ways the revenue could be increased through taxes or other things.”

Bush agreed.

For a third and final time — before the board closed discussion on the district’s monthly financial review — Freeman asked if it was accurate to say that teachers’ fears of imminent furloughs were not an accurate reflection of where the district is in the budget process.

Bush again agreed, saying furloughs are “not in the budget process at this moment.”

Aiming for ‘stability’ amid financial challenges

The school board met March 12 for an initial fiscal 2027 budget review and financial outlook. BCSD Superintendent Dan Sims and Bush walked board members through enrollment projections, staffing allocations, estimated salary and benefit costs, operating costs by facility and department and estimated revenues, according to a March 12 board brief.

“The District is planning for long‑term stability while enrollment continues to decline,” the district memo said. “This includes difficult conversations, and addressing these realities now is part of ensuring the District is financially prepared to serve students well in the years ahead.”

The district projects enrollment of 20,546 students for 2026-27, a drop of nearly 900 from last year’s estimate of 21,436. This continues a trend of the district reporting lower student numbers in the past three years.

The district also cited the Georgia Promise Scholarship, a state voucher program, as a factor expected to have a “long-term impact” on enrollment and funding.

About 600 students have accepted the scholarship, the district said. With state funding tied to per-pupil enrollment — specifically, $4,000 per student — officials estimated a $2.4 million to $3 million reduction. They added that losses could rise as the program expands.

Officials said inflationary pressures continue across both fixed and variable costs, including utilities, textbooks and software, maintenance and insurance.

Salaries and benefits make up about 85% of the general fund, the district said, and costs tied to the Teacher Retirement System and the State Health Benefit Plan have increased sharply in recent years.

“Recruitment and retention of high‑quality teachers and leaders remain essential priorities but add to financial strain,” the board brief said, describing benefit increases as ongoing cost pressures beyond local control.

The district said expenses are rising faster than revenues and warned that the current deficit trend is not sustainable long term.

District leaders said they are working to align staffing with enrollment while meeting state and federal requirements, including class size limits, special education services and student supports.

The memo also said the district will reduce 43 instructional positions heading into the 2026-27 school year, but noted that many of those positions are vacant and the reduction will be achieved through “natural attrition.”

The district also said a review confirmed the need to maintain 164 special education paraprofessionals districtwide, with some positions funded locally while awaiting reimbursements.

Officials also pointed to districtwide underenrollment, resurfacing potential consolidation plans.

“We continue to operate small schools with increasing costs and the inability to hire and maintain enough quality staff for all schools,” the memo said. “About half of the District’s schools are underenrolled, and many of the District’s underenrolled schools are not earning enough funding from the state allocation to cover staffing costs required to safely operate a school.”

As part of its fiscal 2027 planning, the district said it will consider additional measures to reduce costs, including:

• Raising the millage rate
• Consolidating schools
• Freezing longevity step increases and cost of living increases in the futue
• Reducing and re-evaluating contract days for employees
• Furloughing staff
• Reducing further operational costs
• Reducing programs offered in the district

The district will provide more information throughout its budget season as more details become available.

This story was originally published March 20, 2026 at 3:38 PM.