Bibb County Board of Education approves FY 2025 budget with raises for teachers, staff
FY 2025 budget prioritizes literacy, readiness and school improvement initiatives
MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – The Bibb County Board of Education approved the final adoption of the Superintendent’s FY 2025 Recommended Budget on Thursday.
The budget, which supports priorities such as literacy, readiness, engagement, capacity, retention, and school improvement, aims to address key areas for the upcoming school year, according to the district’s “Board Brief.”
Raises for teachers and staff
“A significant priority in the FY 2025 Recommended Budget is to support recruitment and retention efforts as the Bibb County School District continues to compete with surrounding counties in the challenging hiring market,” the Board Brief stated.
Certified teachers in the district will receive a 2% raise in addition to the state-mandated salary increase of $2,500. All classified staff will receive a 5% raise, with custodial staff receiving an additional $1,000 supplement. Certain classified positions, including paraprofessionals, bus drivers, groundskeepers, school resource officers and school nutrition assistants, will receive an additional 5% raise, totaling a 10% increase. Identified leadership roles will also see a 2% salary bump.
“It’s so important in this budget season to get as close to the most effective programming and resources and the best and brightest employees for our students so that we can maximize our opportunities for outcomes,” Superintendent Dr. Dan Sims told 41NBC this week.
Sustaining resources Post-ARP/CARES funding
The FY 2025 Recommended Budget considers the need to sustain resources previously funded by ARP/CARES, which will end in Fall 2024. Following an audit that included principal input, the district plans to reallocate funds to maintain essential curricular resources and supplemental materials.
Supporting school improvement
To support school improvement and Macon-Bibb County’s growth efforts, the district will add or retain positions related to teaching, learning and mental health. This includes additional teacher allotments, Project AWARE staff, mental health support staff and Deans of Students for Tier 4 schools.
Earlier this week, Sims mentioned the need for programs aimed at mental health awareness and treatment for students.
“We also have screeners that we use in order to get us a better understanding of how students are faring from a mental health standpoint,” he said. “And we use that data in order to not only engage our internal resources, but also to partner with organizations throughout the city of Macon and beyond to support our students.”
Financial overview of the FY 2025 budget
Despite increased funding through QBE and equalization, the district faces higher health insurance and retirement costs. To mitigate these expenses, the district plans to reduce operational expenditures by 10%.
The school system’s total expense budget for fiscal year 2025 is more than $22.2 million less than the previous school year, a 5.4% decrease. Eric Bush, the Chief Financial Officer for Bibb County Schools, says this is mostly due to the ending of COVID-19 era funding the school system received from the government, as well as increases in costs.
“Inflation has impacted us greatly,” Bush told 41NBC this week. “In my presentation the other night, we were stating that CPI (Consumer Price Index) has gone up 16.8% over the last 3 years. So we’re fighting inflation just like every other citizen in town is fighting inflation.”
The budget outlines total revenues and transfers in at $378.2 million, with total expenditures and transfers out at $388.4 million. The projected ending fund balance for all budgeted funds is $115.9 million.
Public hearings review and next steps
Public hearings on the budget were held on June 11 and June 20. Proposed millage rate options will be presented at the Board of Education meeting on July 18, as scheduled in the approved budget calendar.
Click here to review the FY 2025 Recommended Budget presentation. Click here to see the action item for the approval of the FY 2025 Recommended Budget.
