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How declining student enrollment numbers factor into the governor's budget cuts

Bibb County School District leaders have to make budget decisions around their declining enrollment numbers on top of the governor's cutbacks

MACON, Ga. — Public school districts across the state are seeing a decline in enrollment, which changes the amount of money they receive.

The more students enrolled in the district, the more money they get from the state. 

Bibb Schools finance director Ron Collier and Superintendent Curtis Jones explain how declining enrollments and the governor's cutbacks factor into the upcoming budget.

"We are anticipating that we will have a reduction in student enrollment next year, as we have basically in the last five years," Jones said.

"We've constantly received somewhere in the neighborhood of somewhere between one and 300 student reductions at that time," Collier said.

They have to make tough budget decisions with receiving less money per student.

That declining enrollment comes on top of the Governor's 14%, or $10 million cut.

"When you start seeing a decline in enrollment, you don't receive that funding anymore. That becomes one cut. But then, when the state says if we were going to give you $6,000 but now because we don't have the monies, we're going to reduce that to $5,000, now it's a double whammy. You're losing money because you're not getting as much per student AND you're not getting as much because you don't have as many students. So the two together, make it a little bit more complicated," Jones said.

"As you have less students, you will receive less funding. It has nothing to do with the 14% per se," Collier said.

Jones says they've seen a 9% drop in enrollment over the last two years largely due to the opening of charter schools.

Their focus is to provide students with an experience they won't get at another school system.

"We've been focusing on the "Leader In Me" over the last four years as well. That's not offered everywhere. You can't get that at other school systems at the level of magnitude or consistency that we offer," Jones said.

Jones says they're looking into continuing e-learning as an option for students once they do return to in-person instruction.

That would make up for the students they may lose to home-schooling.

The district has a survey for parents and staff to give feedback on in-person or e-learning instruction next year.

Jones says they're seeing more people asking to continue remote learning.

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