Memo reveals $5.5M gap in Bibb schools budget

The Bibb County School District has a $5.5 million hole in its fiscal year 2026 budget.

Superintendent Dan Sims acknowledged the shortfall in a December memo to members of the Bibb County Board of Education. 

The memo was obtained by The Macon Melody through a public records request after a source flagged its existence.

In the memo, Sims characterizes the issue as a “discrepancy,” but the document’s file name — as sent to The Melody — labels it as a “budget error.”

The memo outlines how district finance staff discovered the problem during a routine review of budgeted salaries and benefits for the fiscal year, which started July 1, 2025. Sims said the district failed to fully account for a range of personnel costs that were already approved when the board adopted the budget last June.

The largest share comes from $2.4 million in pay for bus drivers, where additional duties such as inspections, fueling and athletic event travel were not fully budgeted. Another $2 million reflects district-wide miscalculations in salary and benefit costs, driven in part by incorrect assumptions about staff departures.

The memo identifies roughly $577,000 in salaries for four positions that were approved but not listed in the budget, including several jobs connected to the Innovation and Technology Academy. An additional $458,000 is attributed to higher staffing and campus police costs for athletic events.

Sims said the school district will address the gap through a budget amendment to be presented to the board in January.

The memo discusses the amendment, which features $8.8 million that would be added to the current school year’s budget through a mix of revenue adjustments, accounting corrections and cost reductions, including $3.8 million from a property tax increase approved in August, excess payments in lieu of taxes and county funding from speeding cameras.

The memo also reflects a correction to how Chromebook purchases were accounted for across fiscal years, rather than a new or reduced purchase. About $1.275 million is listed as “other identified cost reductions across various programs and departments,” though the memo does not specify which programs would be affected.

District officials project the amendment would increase the system’s ending reserves by about $1.1 million. As approved last year, the budget includes a $20 million deficit. 

A move to amend the budget was first attempted in October but was postponed due to board member apprehensions surrounding reallocations and further spending.

In the memo, Sims said the district would pause nonessential spending and hiring until further notice. The fiscal year ends June 30.

When contacted by The Melody about the matter, School Board President Myrtice Johnson said she was “not at liberty to discuss” the memo and the amendment and “had no initial thoughts to share.”

Daryl Morton, another board member, said the board will review the “why” behind the issue at its Jan. 15 meeting.

“We have a finance department that has performed very well and receives accolades for the work that is done,” he said. “This is going to get hashed out (at that meeting).”

Board member Henry Ficklin had other thoughts about the “discrepancy” label.

“That sounds more like incompetence,” he said.

In a statement accompanying the public records release, district staff members wrote that the district “regularly reviews its budget throughout the fiscal year to ensure accuracy, transparency, and responsible use of public funds.”

The statement discusses the board memo and the budget amendment, which they project will result in a fund balance-to-expenditure ratio of approximately 16.3%. It ends with this note: “The District remains committed to sound financial management, clear communication with the Board of Education, and long-term fiscal stability.” 

The board will meet at 6:30 p.m. Thursday at the Professional Learning Center at 2007 Riverside Drive.