Bibb school board stays the course, finalizes budget without new positions

Editor’s Note: An edit was made to clarify comments by Daryl Morton and Julie Groce on the budget.

The Bibb County Board of Education voted to adopt its 2026 budget, but not without rehashing its original debate over the superintendent’s new positions and cost savings.

The board voted along the same lines as it had in the tentative budget adoption last month, ultimately adopting that budget in a 7-1 vote, with Lisa Garrett-Boyd as the lone dissenter.

The budget approved carries a $20.7 million deficit, which will need to be recouped by either raising taxes or receiving a sizable equalization grant from the state.

The vote also followed two public budget hearings on June 10 and June 17.

About two dozen Maconites appeared at the second budget hearing. Several spoke in support of Option A, a budget that includes money for a truancy specialist, a K-5 ELA coordinator and raises for a handful of administrative positions.

Julie Groce supported the district’s Option A budget in order to improve the district’s literacy levels.

Groce, who works for Appleton Episcopal Ministries, a program that offers free reading programs to Bibb County students, said while people are not often receptive to tax hikes, there is a need to support public schools.

Not paying for additional positions now means that students will be left without support services, she said.

“We need to spend the money we need to spend,” Groce said.

During the June 17 public hearing, board member Henry Ficklin suggested the board find the funds for the new positions by reducing the allocation to the district’s staffing agency from the proposed $500,000 to $300,000.

Ficklin had previously voted against the budget that included the two additional positions, citing concerns about the district’s future financial health.

Ficklin raised the question again during the board’s monthly meeting Wednesday evening, noting the district only spent $268,000 last year on the service. 

But district officials said the $500,000 was a “cushion” meant to give flexibility for special education hires. CFO Eric Bush said the cost associated with the agency “goes up and down.”

The board approved the $500,000 purchase order for staffing agencies by a vote of 7-1, with Ficklin as the lone dissenter.

When it came time to adopt the budget, board member James Freeman made a motion to increase the budget to encompass the truancy officer, K-5 ELA coordinator and director of elementary services positions.

Board member Kristin Hanlon, who voted in favor of the new positions previously, said she estimates the district will spend $10 million less than what was originally budgeted this year.

“This money, for $300,000, is pennies compared to what as a district we are doing on a daily, on monthly basis, which is spending money in a responsible manner,” she said.

Board member Daryl Morton said he is concerned about federal and state support for public schools and doesn’t see an improvement in the school’s financial position coming down the road. He said he believes the district can’t “tax (their) way out of it.”

“We’ve got the money right now, but it’s something you have to pay for year after year and understand the consequences of,” he said.

Superintendent Dan Sims said Mayor Lester Miller offered to pay for a truancy specialist position for three years using school zone speed camera funds.

The motion to reintroduce the positions failed 4-4.

The board also approved several contracts, including the purchase of additional smartphone sacks and a renewed commitment to Leader in Me.

The board may consider property tax increases and hold additional millage rate hearings, as it did last year, starting in July.