Bibb summer learning programs reinstated using one-time state poverty grant

The Bibb County School District revealed Thursday its plans for reinvigorating the district’s summer learning programs, some of which were shuttered for high school students in January. 

The board approved its second budget amendment at the meeting, adding $1.2 million back into the general fund with funding for the summer programs coming out of a state Quality Basic Education grant.

Summer programs will serve students from pre-K through 12th grade with a mix of virtual and in-person teaching, according to a district presentation. Classes will focus on everything from credit recovery and catch-up learning to dual enrollment and enrichment. 

Digital “summer choice boards” give students the ability to learn from home over the summer, Bibb Schools Superintendent Dan Sims said.

The district’s program for kindergarten through third grade, dubbed the PUSH for Success Summer Academy, will provide increased support for early literacy and math for identified students, he said.

It’s a “rebranding” of the district’s existing summer programs, Sims said.

“I don’t think people really realize how much we do as a district over the summer,” he said. “This is our opportunity to not only communicate it, but communicate it in one package, as opposed to silos.”

The revamped slate of programs comes after district officials said they wouldn’t be offering summer school for high schoolers anymore in favor of year-round credit recovery.

The district’s free expanded summer program will run four days a week through June and provide breakfast and lunch for students who attend. 

Summer school offers stability to some students who might not otherwise have it, board member Lisa Garrett-Boyd said.

The district is still identifying students for each summer program and the schools for programs to be held.

State poverty grant routed to summer learning

The district is using part of a state poverty grant to fund its summer learning offerings.

While the main item of interest on the Bibb County Board of Education’s first budget amendment approved in January was the $5.5 million unexpectedly added to the budget, the board also formally accepted $1.55 million in the form of a poverty grant approved by lawmakers last year.

The total funding dispersed to Georgia counties was $15.3 million. Bibb County received the second largest allocation in the state — behind Richmond County’s $2 million — to “supplement, not supplant” existing funding.

Districts qualified for the one-time infusion if over 40% of their students were considered economically disadvantaged.

Bibb County qualified because 97.9% of its students are considered “economically disadvantaged,” or eligible to receive free or reduced lunch through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or Temporary Assistance for Needy Families programs. 

Districts are allowed to use funds to aid economically disadvantaged students through at-risk student interventions, afterschool and summer learning programs, transportation, advanced coursework, post-secondary readiness, supplies for a STEAM or fine arts program and additional teacher certifications.

Garrett-Boyd said matching state funds with one of their approved uses is a “win-win” for the district.

“This (grant) strengthens our general fund, and allows us to reallocate those funds elsewhere to maintain a strong general fund balance,” Sims said. 

The State Board of Education began distributing funds in September. 

The initial governor’s 2027 budget has not recommended continuing or expanding the $15.3 million allotted for those grants.

Sims said the district has not yet discussed continuing summer programming into next year given the uncertainty of future funds. The district will also explore using funds from the poverty grant for other approved uses, he added.