Board approves $34.99 million 8% capital list; choice 3 carries over two dissenters

The Beaufort County School Board voted to approve "choice 3" as the final FY27 capital improvement list funded from the district's 8% allocation, a package totaling $34,999,227.

Committee member (speaker 7) moved to adopt choice 3 and the motion was seconded; after discussion about trade-offs among roofing, painting and recurring technology costs the board recorded two votes in opposition and the motion carried. "I move that the Board of Education approve choice 3 as listed in the amount of 34,999,227 as the final list of capital improvement projects for fiscal year 27, 8% funding," the mover said before the vote.

The winning option preserves funding for most technology needs and funds many high-priority roof projects while delaying or reducing certain painting projects. Presenters said option 3 keeps technology life-cycle refreshes and funding for parts of multiple roofing projects, though some roofs may be phased across summers rather than completed in a single season.

Technology staff warned that postponing life-cycle refreshes risks cybersecurity gaps and forfeiture of E-Rate reimbursements. The district's technology presenter said delaying infrastructure refreshes could forfeit roughly $2.6 million in federal E-Rate reimbursements and that a missed refresh can effectively raise next-year costs by several million dollars.

Board members split on priorities: some urged prioritizing full roof replacements to avoid repeat work, while others emphasized maintaining the technology refresh schedule to protect systems and preserve federal reimbursements. A project manager explained the practical constraints of contractor capacity and how large roof projects are often phased.

The board will now direct staff to implement the choice 3 project list and proceed with procurement and scheduling. Two members opposed the motion; the meeting record shows the motion carried.