District staff told the Beaufort County Board of Education Finance Committee on Oct. 19 that August 2026 spending was driven by capital projects and vendor payments, with two large vendors — MB Conn and Thompson Turner — showing multi‑million dollar year-to-year variances tied to milestone payments.

Chairman Geyer told the Finance Committee that the Beaufort County Council Finance Committee voted 6–3 to send an MCIP recommendation to open session; several board members raised concerns that county actions could divert school revenue or undermine public trust ahead of a referendum and flagged Blackstone involvement in property ownership.

Finance presented FY26 actuals and FY27 overview; staff projected a FY26 fund‑balance draw of about $20.9M and noted FY27 operating budget ~ $266.3M and total appropriations ~$798.8M; councilors pressed staff on fund‑balance policy, use for projects and impact‑fee timing.