Beaufort County Council passes $254 million temporary schools budget that freezes pay
In a break from tradition, Beaufort County Council passed the 2020-21 budget for Beaufort County School District unanimously and in less than four minutes Monday night.
The $254 million budget is temporary, meaning it can be changed once state lawmakers meet in the fall to approve a state budget.
It’s an identical amount to last year’s budget, and freezes salary levels for teachers and other district employees for this year unless another budget is approved to replace it.
But the district shifted about $570,000 to Riverview Charter School funding and custodial and maintenance expenses, taking it from debt service payments, already-purchased radios and elementary and high school programs due to expanded mobile classrooms in the district and a bump in enrollment at the charter school.
County Council’s school budget discussion typically takes hours and culminates with dissenting votes. This one was without the usual angst. But the school district still faces uncertainty on its plans for the fall.
On May 18, S.C. Gov. Henry McMaster signed a $155 million COVID-19 relief package that will keep state government running until the fall, when the General Assembly passes a new budget.
State superintendent Molly Spearman told reporters Monday that it will be “extremely difficult” to put students back in classrooms if coronavirus cases continue to rise in South Carolina.
“Certainly, if the virus is running rampant, we’re not going to sacrifice the safety of our students and our teachers just to say ‘we’re going back to school,’” Spearman said. “We’re going to do it safely.”
Beaufort County superintendent Frank Rodriguez is slated to give the school board a COVID-19 update at its next board meeting, which will begin open session from 6 to 9 p.m. Tuesday and resume at 6 p.m. Wednesday.