Bibb County board approves FY26 budget amendment as finance team warns of $23.8M FY27 gap

The Bibb County Board of Education voted to approve General Fund Budget Amendment No. 3 for FY26 after a presentation from district finance staff and follow-up discussion at the full board meeting on May 14.

Eric Bush, the district's finance presenter, told the board the amendment accounts for several midyear changes including a $4.9 million governor one-time salary supplement, a net QBE (Quality Basic Education) midterm adjustment of roughly $2.3 million and the carryover of unspent FY25 security grant funds totaling about $757,225. Bush said the amendment revises the projected fund balance to $48,444,164. The board approved the amendment at the regular meeting by a vote of 7–0 with one abstention.

Bush also presented the district's tentative FY27 budget and a wider fiscal outlook, telling the board that preliminary estimates show a beginning fund balance near $48.1 million, projected general fund revenues of $286.1 million and total estimated salary and benefit costs of about $264.3 million. He said the district faces an estimated budget gap of about $23.8 million under current assumptions.

"If we continue down this path, without a millage rate adjustment or some kind of extensive cost cuts, we will end up with an ending fund balance of $24,300,000," Bush said as he outlined options. He showed millage-rate scenarios that would stabilize reserves over different time frames and described proposed additions — notably 21 literacy-coach positions required by a recently passed state bill — that carry an estimated price tag districtwide of roughly $22.4 million, including an estimated $1.2 million local share.

Board members pressed administration for sharper, itemized analysis of the trade-offs associated with consolidation and rezoning proposals that have been discussed as a way to reduce operating costs. "We need a document that shows what we are saving as a result of not having to provide this position, that position, that position," said one member, requesting a breakdown of per-school costs and how changes in enrollment thresholds affect state revenue allocations.

Bush and other administrators said they would provide additional materials, including an organizational chart, detailed cost comparisons and the facilities-condition information the board requested. They reiterated that some budget pressures are state-mandated and that any decision would include both financial and community-impact considerations.

Votes at a glance: the full board approved the FY26 budget amendment; the consent agenda — which bundled several purchases, contract renewals and committee-approved items including technology and capital outlay revisions — passed unanimously.

Next steps: administration said it will return to the board with the requested line-by-line cost and revenue analyses related to consolidation and rezoning and with updated FY27 figures as state allocations become final.