The Board Brief
May 7, 2024
The Board Brief
The Board Brief newsletter is a summary of the information presented and actions taken at Bibb County Board of Education meetings for Bibb County School District in Macon, Ga. Review meeting agendas, district policies, Board member contact information and more on Simbli at https://simbli.eboardsolutions.com/Index.aspx?S=4013.
Called Board Meeting Actions
On Tuesday, May 7, 2024, Bibb County Board of Education members met for a Called Board of Education meeting. The meeting included action items, as well as a planned Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 Budget Work Session #3 review.
Assistant Principal Approved
Board members approved Latisha Williams-Bacon as the Assistant Principal for John R. Lewis Elementary School for 2024-2025. To review personnel actions, click here.
Board Renews VIEWpath Software Licenses
Board members approved the renewal of Audio Enhancement VIEWpath software subscriptions for all instructional classrooms in an amount not to exceed $183,100 for the 2024-2025 school year. For more information, click here.
Student Laptop Refresh Approved
Board members authorized a purchase order to Dell Technologies for student laptops for students in 2nd, 6th, and 9th grades. The devices will be purchased off state contract using a combination of Bonds of 2020, 2021 ESPLOST, and FY24 General Funds in an amount not to exceed $2,447,500 for 2024-2025. For more information, click here.
Canvas Platform Renewed
Board members approved the annual renewal of Canvas Learning Management System and Canvas Studio software subscriptions for all instructional classrooms in the amount not to exceed $160,772.55 for the 2024-2025 school year. For more information, click here.
FY 2025 Budget Work Session #3
On May 7, the Bibb County Board of Education participated in its second in a series of Budget Work Sessions for Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 Budget Planning. For information and documents presented as part of Budget Work Session #3, click here. A meeting video link is included below along with other resources.
Superintendent Dr. Dan A. Sims shared with Board members a thorough review of the Fiscal Year 2025 Budget, with a recommended 1.5 millage rate increase. This request for an increase follows seven consecutive years of rollback in the education millage rate for Macon-Bibb County and is essential to making Bibb County School District a competitive district for recruiting and retaining the best teachers and staff and to maintain a General Fund balance in line with industry expectations.
The presentation covered changes to salaries, benefits, operational costs, and revised totals, as well as a review of requested information from Work Session #2. Critical budget priorities identified for FY25 include the areas outlined below.
The recommended FY25 Budget provides for raises above and beyond State-level offerings for all staff in order for BCSD to become more competitive. Proposed are:
- Salary increases for certified staff of $2,500 (as funded by the State for “earned” positions), plus an additional 2% for certified staff.
- Salary increases for classified staff of 5%. (The State does not fund any classified increases.)
- Additional 2 to 5% increase for identified classified positions where significant gaps persist (based on current and past salary studies) and where salaries have remained flat (no salary schedule).
Support Literacy and Readiness by Maintaining Resources Funded by ARP/CARES
- Retain needed funding for curricular resources and supplemental materials, including items previously funded by ARP/CARES, following the completion of a thorough program audit.
Continued Efforts to Engage Parents and Community in Supporting Schools
- Complete engagement efforts in line with the Strategic Plan to ensure school-level impact on improving engagement across the District.
- Continue final proposed year with Gallup.
Added Supports for School Improvement
- Improve focus on school improvement throughout the year for all schools with added internal and external supports.
Budget Preparation Process:
- Program and Resource Audit: Using outlined district priorities and school-level input, BCSD identified $1,617,648 out of $7,845,524, or 20.6% of reviewed expenses to cut. Additionally, operational expenditures were cut by 3%. These cost reductions will allow the district to operate more effectively and efficiently. This effort resulted in ways to not only save funding, but to reduce redundancies in operations.
- Leadership Salary Study: This study reviewed the gaps and competitiveness of salaries for BCSD leadership positions compared to surrounding districts.
- District Budget and Finance Advisory Committee: Since the fall, this committee of about 40 community and business members, school and district leaders, and teachers and staff engaged in a series of meetings centered on educational data reviews and focus group deep dives into current BCSD initiatives, programs, and services. The resulting goal was to identify a set of recommendations for budget priorities, adjustments, and reductions to aid the budget development process beginning with FY25 and serving as a guide for budget processes in the years to come.
Tentative Adoption of the FY25 Budget is scheduled for review at the Board of Education Meeting on May 16, 2024, and Final Adoption of the FY25 Budget is tentatively scheduled for the Board of Education Meeting on June 20, 2024. In the case of a millage rate increase, Public Hearings will be held prior to the June 20 meeting.
Superintendent's Podcast on FY25 Budget Considerations
Watch the Budget Work Session, May 7
Review Information from Budget Work Session #2
Review information presented at FY 2025 Budget Work Session #2 by clicking here.
Bibb County Board of Education
Mr. James M. Freeman, District 6 - President
Mr. Daryl J. Morton, At-Large, Post 7 - Treasurer
Mrs. Myrtice C. Johnson, District 1
Dr. Thelma D. Dillard, District 2
Mrs. Kristin C. Hanlon, District 3
Dr. Juawn A. Jackson, District 4
Dr. Lisa W. Garrett-Boyd, At-Large, Post 8
The following Board Members were not present at this work session:
Dr. Sundra M. Woodford, District 5 - Vice President