GaDOE responds to Bibb County Schools’ $5.5M budget discrepancy
The district plans to present a formal budget amendment during Thursday meetings.
MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – Ahead of scheduled meetings Thursday, the Bibb County School District is sharing a response from the Georgia Department of Education that was provided in response to a media inquiry about a $5.5 million discrepancy in the district’s fiscal year 2026 budget.
In an email sent to media outlets Wednesday, the district said the response was issued by the Georgia Department of Education after a local media outlet asked the state department if it had been notified of the discrepancy or asked to assist.
“This is not information the district is required to report to GaDOE,” wrote Meghan Frick, Chief Communications Officer for the Georgia Department of Education. “Based solely on the information shared publicly by the district, this reflects a local mid-year budget reconciliation and proposed budget amendment identified through routine internal financial reviews.”
Frick wrote that the district disclosed the issue to its board, outlined corrective steps and indicated it expects to maintain a healthy fund balance following the amendment.
She said it is standard practice for school districts to reevaluate planned budgets and spending based on actual figures throughout the year.
The Bibb County School District plans to present a formal budget amendment to the Board of Education during meetings on Thursday.
As previously reported by 41NBC, Superintendent Dr. Dan Sims disclosed the $5.5 million discrepancy in a four-page memo in December. According to that memo, obtained last week through an open records request, the discrepancy stemmed from miscalculated personnel costs and omissions related to salaries, benefits, transportation pay, unbudgeted positions and increased security and athletic staffing costs.
Sims wrote in the memo that steps are being taken to prevent similar issues in the future, including more accurate salary projections and confirmation of allocated positions during the budget process.
In a written response to the memo and its release, the school district said the gap would be offset by newly identified tax revenue and other savings, increasing the projected fiscal year 2026 ending fund balance by an estimated $1.1 million.
In the meantime, the district has paused non-essential spending and hiring.
The Bibb County Board of Education will hold a work session at 3 p.m., followed by a committee meeting at 4 p.m. and a board meeting at 6:30 p.m. Thursday at the Professional Learning Center on Riverside Drive. All meetings will be streamed online here.
