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Beaufort County finance committee says first-quarter spending is under target; ESSER funds fully expended
Summary
The Beaufort County School District finance committee reviewed July–September 2024 financials, reporting overall expenditures below seasonal expectations, local tax collections lagging until bills mail, and that federal ESSER funds ($74 million) are fully spent; staff previewed a clean audit for ACE and flagged an urgent $136,000 water‑heater replacement.
The Beaufort County School District finance committee on an administrative call reviewed first‑quarter finances for July–September 2024 and found expenditures running below the seasonal benchmark while staff warned tax revenues will arrive later in the year.
"Overall, our budget is at 26.3% expended," Chair Chad said as staff presented the monthly board budget. Finance staff told members local tax collections stood at about $5,900,000, or roughly 2.7% of expectations at quarter end, and that most property tax revenue typically posts in December and January.
Staff said state revenue collections totaled about $16,000,000 (12% of projected receipts) and general fund expenditures were roughly $62,000,000, or about 17% of the annual budget. The presentation noted differences from last year driven largely by pay timing and the earlier school start this year.
Finance staff also reported that federal ESSER (Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief) funds allocated in prior years have been fully expended. "All of the $74,000,000 that we were allocated about 3 years ago ... are 100% of the dollars have been spent," the staff member said.
In a related facilities update, staff previewed an audit draft for the ACE program by Manley Garvin and reported no current audit findings; the auditors are expected to issue a clean (unmodified) opinion. The update included an urgent maintenance need at ACE: inspections found a failing water heater/boiler that serves the culinary classroom and kitchen and requires replacement at an estimated $136,000.
Staff said they are exploring funding approaches, including using referendum or capital improvement dollars and a potential 50/50 cost split with partner districts, to avoid closing classrooms or programs while repairs proceed.
The committee asked staff to continue providing quarterly updates and to return more detailed breakdowns—including an itemized schedule for when tax receipts will post—at the next meeting.
