Beaufort County Board of Education is once again imploring legislators to consider class-size flexibility legislation.

At Tuesday’s regular meeting, Assistant Superintendent Mark Doane reported that the school district would need to hire 27 additional teaching positions to accommodate state-mandated, class-size restrictions. Those restrictions mean fewer children per classroom, and therefore, more classrooms and teachers needed.

Doane said those additional positions would cost Beaufort County Schools well over $1 million — funds the district doesn’t have, leading to extensive cuts elsewhere. Cost of additional resources and materials isn’t factored into that dollar amount, he added.

Last year, the North Carolina General Assembly passed a mandate to reduce kindergarten through third-grade class sizes from 24 students to 19-21 students, depending on grade level. The legislation sent shock waves across the state, as school districts faced the need for more personnel without the funds to make it happen. Some districts may also be forced to cut ancillary positions, such as art, music and physical education teachers.

In response to the backlash, legislators crafted House Bill 13, which would relax those class-size restrictions and give local school districts more authority on setting their own restrictions.

Dr. Don Phipps, superintendent of Beaufort County Schools, said House Bill 13 made it through the House of Representatives, but it now sits untouched in the Senate Rules Committee.

Phipps said the Board of Education originally thought the class-size restrictions would require hiring an additional eight teachers in kindergarten through third grade, but a closer look at numbers showed more than triple that amount is needed.

“Assuming we can find the folks and pay for them, it is a very big deal,” Doane said Tuesday. “We’re very hopeful that the Senate will take up House Bill 13.”

Doane said there are 12 federally funded positions reserved for the reduction of class sizes, and those could be used to soften the blow.

Board Chairman Terry Williams said the problem remains where to put those extra classes, as there is little room to do so. Williams also said that setting up two classes in one classroom environment is not a viable option.

“I have a lot of questions, but there are no answers yet,” Vice Chair Carolyn Walker said.

In the hopes of making its plight heard, the Board of Education approved another letter of resolution, detailing the potential effects of allowing House Bill 13 to remain stagnant.

In a previous interview, Phipps said the district would still be forced to cut positions if House Bill 13 passes, but it would only be one or two. He said that is a better option than where the legislation stands now.

“There’s not any movement … and we’ve been told to plan as if there won’t be any change,” Phipps said.

As of Wednesday, there was no word on when, or if, the Senate would discuss House Bill 13.