MACON, Ga. — Bibb County's School Board says they'll have some tough decisions to make in the next few years, after making another difficult choice Thursday night.
They say they might have to close some schools after voting to roll back the millage rate Thursday. According to an April budget hearing, 11 of Bibb County's 21 elementary schools are under-enrolled. Now that the district has to make some budget cuts, they say under-enrolled schools could be on the chopping block. One of them is LH Williams.
"I don't believe there's another school in Macon, Georgia, as special as LH Williams," said Gregory Tub Wiley, an alumnus of the school.
Wiley would know. For 67 years, he's lived just across the street.
"All my life," he said. "Most of the elders that live right here in this community graduated from LH Williams."
According to the April budget report, LH Williams is one of the most under-enrolled schools in the county, with 317 students. The state benchmark for elementary schools is 450.
"I think the thing that hurts me the most is when we see the list of schools that we have that do not qualify for funding because of the size," said School Board Member Lisa Garrett-Boyd during Thursday's meeting.
Thursday, board members discussed the need to consolidate some schools. Many said they viewed reducing the millage rate as a way to do it. The district says the cuts will lead to school closures and possible staffing cuts.
Wiley says he hopes LH Williams makes the cut.
"The young children that are going to grow up are going to grow up in the community like we did, and hopefully come back and stay like we did," he said.
The district says they don't know which schools will have to close, if any. They say it's a likely possibility. They also say there will be plenty of opportunities for public comment before the board takes any action.
It's not just elementary schools that are under-enrolled in Bibb County. Two of the county's six middle schools are under-enrolled, along with five of the seven high schools.