What Does the Bibb County Board of Education Actually Do?

The quick answer

The Bibb County Board of Education is the group of people you elect to run the county's public schools. It has eight members. They set the rules for the school district, approve its budget (about $480 million a year), and hire the superintendent — the person who actually runs the schools day to day.

The board also sets one part of your property tax bill: the part that pays for schools. For most Bibb homeowners, that school part is the biggest piece of the bill.

The board does not run individual schools, and it is separate from the Macon-Bibb County Commission (the county government).

What it does

• Hires the superintendent. This is the board's most important job. The superintendent is the one employee the board manages directly, and that person runs the schools every day. The current superintendent, Dr. Dan Sims, was hired by the board in 2022.
• Approves the budget. Every year the board decides how the district spends its money — on salaries, programs, buildings, and savings.
• Sets the school tax rate. The board sets the millage rate. A "mill" is just the unit used to measure property tax: one mill equals $1 of tax for every $1,000 of your home's taxable (assessed) value. Bibb's school rate is currently 14.674 mills, and it shows up as its own line on your tax bill.
• Makes the big rules. Which neighborhood goes to which school, the school calendar, what it takes to graduate, whether a school opens or closes, and student conduct — those are all board decisions.
• Answers to voters. You elect the members, and you can vote them out. The board meets in public, and residents can speak.

What it doesn't do

This is where people often aim at the wrong target.

It makes the rules and the budget — it doesn't run the schools day to day. That's the superintendent and the staff. If your question is about how something is actually being handled, that's an administration question, not a board one.

It sets the school part of your taxes — not the county part. The Macon-Bibb County Commission is a different elected board. It sets the county and city taxes. Your tax bill has both, but the school board only controls the school line.

It sets district-wide rules — it doesn't handle one student's grade, discipline, or a single classroom complaint. Those go through the school, the principal, and the district staff.

It runs the local district — it doesn't make state education law or state tests. Those come from the state: the Georgia General Assembly, the State Board of Education, and the elected State School Superintendent. The state's private-school voucher program, for example, is a state decision, not the board's.

Who's on it, and how they got there

The board has eight members, and each serves a four-year term. The terms are staggered, so they don't all end at the same time.

• Six members each represent one part of the county. Those seats are called District 1 through District 6.
• Two members represent the whole county at once. Those seats are called Post 7 and Post 8 — the "at-large" seats.

The races are nonpartisan — candidates run with no party label (no "D" or "R" next to their name). Elections happen in May of even-numbered years. If no one wins more than half the vote, the top two have a runoff in June.

The board picks a president and a vice president from among its own members.

To see who holds each seat right now — and which district you live in — check the district's board page. Membership changes with each election.

How it touches you

Even if you don't have a child in a Bibb school, the board's choices reach you.

Your tax bill. The school rate (14.674 mills) is higher than the county government's rate, so the board's yearly budget vote is the bigger reason your property tax goes up or down. One thing worth knowing: there is a "rollback rate" — the rate that would bring in the same amount of money as last year, even as home values rise. If the board sets a rate higher than the rollback rate, state law calls that a tax increase — even when the mill number on paper stays the same.

Your neighborhood schools. The board decides school boundaries, whether schools combine, and which programs exist. Those choices affect commutes, class sizes, and even home values.

Local jobs. The district is one of the county's largest employers — more than 1,500 teachers and about 3,400 staff in all. The budget the board approves pays for those jobs and sets the pay.

As of 2026, the board is under real money pressure. Fewer students have enrolled for years in a row, and the state hands schools money based on how many students they have — so fewer students means less state money. The district also points to rising costs and the state's new voucher program. That is the backdrop behind much of its budget, rezoning, and tax debate.

How to follow it — and show up

• Meetings. The board usually meets once a month, with extra meetings as needed. Dates, times, and places are posted ahead of time on the district's online board portal (called Simbli / eBoardSolutions), which also holds agendas, past minutes, policies, and how to contact members.
• Public comment. Most regular meetings set aside time for the public to speak. The sign-up rules are posted with the agenda.
• Tax hearings. Any year the board wants a rate above the rollback rate, state law requires three public hearings that anyone can attend — the clearest built-in chance to be heard on what you will pay.
• The Board Brief. The district puts out a plain-language summary of what happened at each meeting. It is handy when you cannot make it.

The best time to speak up is before a vote, not after — at the meeting, or in a note to the member who represents your district.

Key terms

Millage rate

the number that sets your property tax. One mill equals $1 of tax for every $1,000 of your property's assessed (taxable) value.

Rollback rate

the rate that would bring in the same money as last year, even though property values went up. Setting a rate above it counts, by law, as a tax increase.

At-large

a seat elected by the whole county, instead of by just one district.

Equalization funding

extra state money for lower-wealth districts, so they can fund schools closer to what richer counties can. It is a meaningful part of Bibb's budget.

How we know this

This explainer draws on the Bibb County School District (bcsdk12.net) and its board portal (Simbli / eBoardSolutions), Ballotpedia's Georgia district profile, and local reporting from 41NBC, WGXA, and 13WMAZ on the board's budget and millage votes.

Last reviewed June 2026. Board membership, the millage rate, and the budget change from year to year — see something out of date? Tell us.