Beaufort County School District seeks $17.8 million boost, proposes 4.3‑mill increase and higher starting teacher pay

Beaufort County School District Superintendent Frank Rodriguez and Chief Financial Officer Tanya Crosby presented the district’s proposed fiscal 2025–26 general fund budget and asked the county finance committee to forward the ordinance for first reading to county council.

The budget request centers on employee compensation and program changes the district says are necessary to recruit and retain teachers and strengthen academic support. The district proposed a 4.3‑mill increase to operations millage (to 126.1 mills as described in the presentation) while leaving the debt service millage unchanged at 36.3 mills. The committee approved without objection moving the ordinance to county council for first reading.

The district identified three budget priorities: teacher and support‑staff compensation, academic programs and safety and security. To hold a competitive position in the state, the district proposes raising a new starting teacher salary (after schedule adjustments) to about $60,087 by reworking the step schedule and consolidating steps 0–5. The plan would include a $4,000 increase to the teacher base salary and additional step changes intended to retain veteran staff.

Crosby said employee compensation accounts for about 80% of the proposed increases. The district also expects operational cost increases of about $4 million for custodial and maintenance contracts plus other increases for utilities and insurance. To offset some costs, the district said it aligned staffing allocations with current enrollment and eliminated about 60 positions, saving roughly $1.9 million.

The district told the committee it faces a loss of state funding tied to recent changes in the state school funding formula. Crosby said Beaufort’s share of state funding fell by roughly $2.9 million under the revised formula; a temporary adjustment restored about $291,000, leaving a net reduction of about $2.6 million for the district this year. That shortfall, the district said, increases the need to draw on local tax revenue to balance the budget.

Crosby provided examples of the taxpayer impact, using a countywide median home value cited in the presentation. Under the proposed 4.3‑mill increase she said the modeled effect would be negligible on a primary residence assessed under the state homestead treatment, roughly $140 per year for a secondary home at the example value, and about $13 per year on a $50,000 vehicle. Crosby also noted the district does not collect an operations tax on primary homeowners due to the state change known in the presentation as Act 388.

Committee members expressed concern about the state funding formula’s effects and discussed possible county support for district advocacy at the state level. Several members indicated willingness to consider a council‑level resolution urging legislative review of the formula; the superintendent said district leaders are coordinating with the delegation and would keep the county informed.

The committee voted to forward the school tax ordinance and proposed budget to county council for first reading without objection. The superintendent and CFO said the school board will certify the budget and millage at its upcoming meeting and expect to return to the county with any updates.

Because the district’s presentation included multiple technical elements of the state formula and federal grant timing, school officials said remaining uncertainties about state and federal funding make final figures subject to change before budget adoption.

The county committee did not adopt the budget; it approved forwarding the school district’s ordinance and supporting materials to full council for formal consideration and required public hearings.