Bibb County’s 2025 school budget would give teachers raises. But there are tax concerns

The Bibb County Board of Education has tentatively approved a 2025 budget that would give raises to all employees in the school system, but opposition to the budget arose due to tax concerns.

The tentative budget was approved in a 5-3 by the board Thursday.

Board members Sundra Woodford, Lisa Garrett and Daryl Morton opposed the budget, which may cause a property tax hike to cover raises. Superintendent Dam Sims recommended last week that the budget include a 1.5 millage tax increase. The tax increase means that the owner of a home valued at $100,000 would pay an additional $50 in property taxes.

Although Sims’ recommendation has no influence on the budget’s tentative approval at this time, Morton said he’s not sure the board could vote on the proposed budget without the millage rate being involved.

“When you potentially ask the people for more money, you’ve got to show you’ve done everything you can. I think that should have already had happened because clearly there is some right-sizing that needs to occur,” Morton said. “I can tell you right now based on what I’m seeing, I’m not supporting the millage rate increase.”

Sims’ request for the increase follows seven consecutive years of rollback in the education millage rate for Macon-Bibb County, according to The Bibb County Board of Education’s Board Brief newsletter.

“Our district has a history of rolling back the millage rate unlike many other districts. This prevents us from receiving increased tax revenue to increase salaries accordingly,” Chief Financial Officer Eric Bush said during a previous budget work session. “Is the Board and community prepared to consider raising the millage rate, or at minimum not rolling back the millage rate as an option to provide funds for teacher and staff salary increases to assist with recruitment and retention of a high-quality effective staff?”

Sims said the increase would be a progressive step toward one of the budget’s priorities: recruiting and retaining staff by raising administrative and teacher salaries to make the Bibb County School District a more competitive employer across Middle Georgia.

Bibb County board member concerned about absences

Morton said he doesn’t think the budget does a good enough job addressing other district-wide problems like student absenteeism and poor academic performances, which place heavy burdens on teachers and administrators.

“I don’t think it’s any secret that our teachers are significantly underpaid, and they have sacrificed so much to teach our children and certainly they need to be compensated in that way,” Morton said. “I have concerns about whether this budget will sufficiently address some of the real problems that we have, particularly in our buildings.”

Board member Myrtice Johnson asked Chief Financial Officer Eric Bush if the budget will make allowances for all schools to have attendance clerks in order to monitor and address the high absence rates.

Sims said all schools use a collaborative approach of attendance teams and social work departments that work to give chronically absent students and their families resources, in which the budget could include more attendance clerks in the future.

Board member Juawn Jackson, who supports the budget, posed six questions to Bush on whether the budget addresses the school district’s bus driver, teacher and custodian shortages by boosting compensation for those jobs. Bush confirmed.

In addition to the recent state-funded $2,500 stipend for teachers next school year, the tentative adopted budget will also include:

• 2% salary increase for all certified staff

• 5% salary increase for all classified staff

• $1,000 custodial supplement for 2024-2025 school year

• 4.1% increase in salary for school nutrition servers, monitors, cashiers and nutrition assistants

• Up to 10% increase in salary for bus drivers and monitors

• 2% increase for identified leadership positions, such as assistant principals and deputy superintendent

The budget will also provide some classified staff positions with significant salary gaps an additional 5% increase — including paraprofessionals, bus drivers, groundskeepers, school resource officers and school nutrition assistants.

Bush said the positions were identified as being 30% below the average salary compared to similar-sized school districts in the surrounding Middle Georgia area. The comparisons were identified in the BCSD salary study, Bush added.

Public hearings, if needed, are set for June 11 and June 20 at the Professional Learning Center. Board members are set to vote on the final budget June 20. Proposed millage rate options will be presented at the July 18 board meeting.