Thirty-four employees of Beaufort County Schools will retire at the end of this school year.

Although the number is much higher than last year, Dr. Don Phipps, superintendent of Beaufort County Schools, said it is within the realm of what the district normally sees.

“It varies from year to year,” Phipps said. “That’s not just teachers. It includes teacher assistants, cafeteria workers, maintenance workers.”

In 2016, Beaufort County Schools had 20 retirees, and in 2015, it had 36, according to data from BCS human resources.

One of this year’s retirees is Abbie Hopkins, who serves as cafeteria manager at Northeast Elementary School and was featured in the Daily News’ Profile 2017. Hopkins has worked for the school system for 36 years, and during her tenure, was given several awards for her work.

She has earned 13 Awards of Excellence, placed second in the state for her much-loved cinnamon buns and received the Louise Sublette Award in 2008.

“I love my job, and I love my children, and I’m just a grandmamma trying to take care of them out here,” Hopkins said in a previous interview.

Ginny Batts, an exceptional children’s teacher at Washington High School, is another longtime employee headed for retirement this year.

After 35 years, Batts said she felt like it was the right time for her to go and pursue other interests.

“Retirement is simply a word. My amazing students have left an indelible mark on my heart. As I travel new paths and adventures, they will travel with me. Retirement is not clearly within my vernacular,” Batts said.

Although she taught at P.S. Jones Middle School for years, the county shifted her position to Washington High for the 2016-17 school year. Batts said she could not imagine a better way to leave BCS after a successful year with her students at Washington.

“We are grateful for the service of our retirees. They represent every area of service delivery and embody the importance of every professional role that is served to reach our mission,” Phipps said. “With almost 800 years of service (combined) just to BCS … we are forever grateful for their efforts. They may never know the impact they have had on the education of the children we serve.”

Phipps said he expects most of the retirees’ positions will be filled for the upcoming year. Some of those positions may be up in the air, however, because of the district’s drop in enrollment, he added.

At this point in the budget process, it is difficult to pinpoint which positions may be cut, according to Phipps, and everything depends upon enrollment numbers.

A large portion of state funding for individual districts is based on the number of students in a district. BCS is facing the potential for further cuts in state funds during the 2017-18 school year.