Last week, the Beaufort County Board of Commissioners officially passed the budget for fiscal year 2017-18. As part of that budget, Beaufort County Schools was allotted $15,701,900 — just under a 2.7-percent increase from last year.

Unfortunately, the increase was not nearly enough to cover the expenses facing the school district. In May, the Board of Education requested a 5.6-percent increase from commissioners.

Education is the largest chunk of the county’s budget, so it isn’t fair to say the commissioners don’t care about the school system. An increase in funding was a good decision, but it’s simply not enough. This is, once again, a case of tightening budgets and decreasing funds across the board in all levels of government.

In the commissioners’ original proposed budget, there was no mention of money allotted for technology upgrades. Thanks in part to Commissioner Ron Buzzeo, a one-time allotment of $125,000 was awarded for that purpose during the fast-approaching new fiscal year.

Buzzeo should be commended for speaking up about this revision. In today’s schools, it’s nearly impossible to provide students with an up-to-par education without using technology. Textbooks, special programs and even grade books are all shifting to an online platform, not to mention needed equipment upgrades. This isn’t the choice of local school districts — some of these changes are coming down the pipe from the state and federal government, and some are unavoidable changes as school buildings age.

BCS requested $400,000 from the commissioners for technology upgrades, but the board didn’t provide that. No funding allotments could have spelled disaster for the public schools.

The commissioners need to remember the gravity of the situation in regards to public education and perhaps plan ahead for next year’s funding. Relying on state money is a fickle option. The same applies to the changing landscape of the North Carolina Community College System.

Sure, more than 30 percent of the county’s budget is for education. But every single penny, if not more, of that is warranted.