Bibb County School Board set to vote on FY2025 budget
The vote on the proposed budget for fiscal year 2025 will take place on Thursday, June 20. Parents and all other residents are welcome to attend.
MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – Members of the Bibb County Board of Education are set to vote this week on the proposed budget for fiscal year 2025.
The budget proposal looks a bit different than in past years due to fewer resources.
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 said. “In my presentation the other night, we were stating that CPI has gone up 16.8% over the last 3 years. So we’re fighting inflation just like every other citizen in town in fighting inflation.”
Dr. Dan Sims, Superintendent of Bibb County Schools, says increasing salaries to attract more teachers was important this budget season.
“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,” Sims said.
Dr. Sims also 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,” Sims 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.”
Dr. Sims added that the board is looking closely at school consolidation, but that he had no particular schools in mind at the moment.
The school board is set to vote on the budget on Thursday. Parents and all other residents are welcome to attend.
