Macon County schools' central office has been scrambling this week to balance the 2012- 2013 budget. Last week, the schools’ finance director Angie Cook, informed county commissioners at a joint facilities review committee that Macon County schools are in serious financial trouble. She informed commissioners that she had been working with Interim Superintendent Dr. Jim Duncan to find areas in the budget to reduce cost in order to make up for a $550,000 shortfall in next year's budget.

According to Dr. Duncan, the school system’s financial problems did not surface overnight, but are a result of years of overspending and allocating more in the budget than the school system had in funding.

As part of an ongoing joint effort between the school system and the county to give Macon County schools a face lift, the facilities review committee met last week to discuss continued improvements to schools throughout the district.

The joint effort, which began as a project to improve the infrastructure of Macon County through consolidations and renovations to schools, has allowed Macon County Commissioners and the Board of Education to work together for more than five years to offer the best education for children in the county.

Over the next few months, members of the Macon County Board of Education will be interviewing a pool of candidates in search of the county's next superintendent. In mid-September the board narrowed down the applicants from 18 to six contenders.

After soliciting community input on what qualifications the next superintendent should embody, as well as input from Macon County school staff and community stake-holders, the Board of Education compiled a list of desired attributes that helped narrow down the search for who will be best suited for Macon County schools.

Last Friday, Macon Early College concluded Spirit Week by having a "Principal Gibbs Look-A-Like" day.

The event was planned without Principal Todd Gibbs’ knowledge.

Students and staff participated by wearing long sleeve button-up shirts, khaki pants, ties with attached pens, and Principal Gibbs name tags.

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