The Bibb County Board of Education will discuss how to allocate funding for next year’s budget  during its June 18 meeting. The committee and board meetings will be held online.

The board will pass a spending resolution for July due to delays from COVID-19, according to Stephanie Hartley, director of communications for the Board of Education. Hartley said the timeline of the final budget decision will be discussed on June 18.

All state agencies — Including school districts — have been directed to cut 14 percent from their budget. 

This reduction would be about $10.1 million for Bibb. The loss would be even higher if not for $10.6 million in CARES funding or  the The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act , which passed in March to offset health, education and financial losses due to COVID-19.

Here is the list of items that could be cut from next year’s budget:

• Furloughs: one day of furlough could reduce expenditures by $808,815. With 239-day employees being furloughed 12 days, 225-day employees 11 days, 190- to 215-day employees 10 days, and 180- to 182-day employees 8 days, the District could reduce expenditures by $8,188,721
• Use of Fund Balance Reserves ($4 million)
• Millage rate increase ($4 million)
• Shorten the school year
• Reduction of Central Office and school-level positions (In progress)
• Freezing step increases on the salary scale ($1.7 million)
• Freezing of position vacancies
• Reduction of operations by 5% (additional $0.6 million)
• Eliminate consultants ($0.09 million)
• Eliminate service agreements ($0.6 million)
• Eliminate summer school ($0.7 million)
• Reduce the allotment formula for assistant principals and clerical staff at schools
• Consolidation of schools and possible rezoning
• Delay of 1-to-1 initiative until new ESPLOST revenues are received
• Moratorium on all travel
• Utilize a four-day workweek
• Modifications or eliminations of programs
• IB Program ($0.1 million)
• Advanced Placement Program (nominal)
• SAM Program ($0.4 million)
• 
Leader in Me
• School City ($0.2 million)
• College and Career Academy (reduction in a minimum of one teacher at each high school $0.5 million; other potential reductions at CCA to be determined)
• WiSH Printing
• Athletics cost
• Grants that are not 100% grant-funded (added costs such as personnel, travel, etc. funded by General Fund)
• Various combinations of the above

The committee meeting will take place at 4 p.m. followed by the board at 6 p.m. Links to access the meetings will be posted with the committee agenda as well as on the Bibb County School District’s social media accounts within 24 hours of the meeting.

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