Bibb County consolidation plan recommends rezoning, not closures

District leaders are presenting rezoning and an organizational efficiency study as alternatives to closing schools.

MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – A school consolidation presentation set to be reviewed Thursday during the Bibb County Board of Education committee meeting recommends exploring districtwide rezoning and conducting an organizational efficiency study, rather than moving forward with school closures.

The presentation was led by Deputy Superintendent Dr. Katika Lovett and Dr. Thelron Pleas of Towering Your Success. It comes after months of public engagement and analysis as the district looks for ways to address declining enrollment and an expected budget shortfall in fiscal year 2026.

As previously reported by 41NBC, the district launched the consolidation review in response to declining enrollment and a projected budget shortfall in fiscal year 2026. District officials have said they are working to get each elementary school to an enrollment of at least 450 students to meet the state’s “operational efficiency” benchmark and avoid potential funding losses.

In February, the district outlined three possible consolidation scenarios:

• Scenario 1: Hartley Elementary consolidating with Ingram-Pye and Southfield Elementary
• Scenario 2: Williams Elementary consolidating with Ingram-Pye and Hartley Elementary
• Scenario 3: Porter Elementary consolidating with Heard and Skyview Elementary

Each option was developed using a seven-point matrix analyzing enrollment trends, building utilization, transportation impact and financial savings. Community members shared feedback at school-based meetings, district town halls and through surveys. Concerns included neighborhood preservation, class sizes, transportation access and student well-being.

Thursday’s presentation recommends two actions: “exploring districtwide rezoning” and “releasing a request for proposal (RFP) for an organizational efficiency study” that would “assess leadership structure across the district including central office and explore districtwide facility use.”

Rezoning “may be the better fit” for immediate next steps, the presentation states, because “school buildings are still in good condition,” “declining enrollment is not yet severe,” “community engagement shows strong preference for school preservation,” and “there are opportunities to assess boundaries strategically and solve imbalance issues based on individual school needs.”

Two non-consolidation scenarios focused on boundary changes instead of closures. According to the document, while those options don’t result in major cost savings, they would help stabilize enrollment and building usage, particularly in the Central and Howard zones.

In March, the board delayed a vote on consolidation amid concerns about equity. Board President Myrtice Johnson said merging students with higher needs into fewer buildings could hurt student achievement and overwhelm teachers.

“How are we thinking about student achievement when we put all of those low-achieving students in one building?” Johnson asked.

At that meeting, Superintendent Dr. Dan Sims said if consolidation did not move forward, he still considered the process, and the meetings and town halls held as part of it, worthwhile.

“That’s given us the opportunity to educate the community in some ways that perhaps they had not been informed,” Sims said.

The board has not made a final decision on its next steps.

41NBC’s Taylor Gilchrist is at the meeting and will have more tonight on 41NBC News at 11.