The Bibb County School Board moved forward with a budget plan Monday that does not furlough employees next school year.

The board voted in favor of approving its fiscal year 2012 budget at just over $296 million. That's about $5 million more than last year's budget.

The biggest change this year, according to board members and district officials, is the loss of about $6 million in federal stimulus  funds they received the past two years. Board members voted earlier this school year not to use some of those funds. Tommy Barnes, board president, says that's part of the reason the district could eliminate furloughs for employees in this budget.

Barnes and school board member Susan Sipe credited Supt. Romain Dallemand with helping craft a budget that makes the best use of their money.

His recommendation to cut staff by 87 positions, including 52 teachers, saves the district nearly $5 million.

The Macon-Bibb Fire and Police Pension Board voted 3 to 2 Monday night to reject a promissory note from the city that would have paid the fund $4.5 million over five years.

That's after the city's actuary found that for 18 months, the city wasn't paying enough into the fund as required by state law, beginning in July of 2009.

One member of the board described a promissory note as the equivalent of a legally-binding "I owe you."

Mayor Robert Reichert proposed paying the fund about $3.5 million at an interest rate of eight percent compounded annually until paid in full.

But board member Charles Bishop says that rate isn't high enough.

"To me, that's not a good investment when the investment returns right now on the money is somewhere up around 20 percent," says Bishop.