Cleveland County board schedules attorney consultation on Marion Elementary property after heated public comment

The Cleveland County Board of Education held a special called meeting Oct. 21 to determine the method of disposal for the surplus Marion Elementary School property and to hear community input on whether the district should retain the site.

Board Chair (name not specified in the record) opened the meeting saying, "The purpose of tonight's meeting is to establish the method of disposal that will be used for this property." The board heard a presentation from district staff on enrollment, space utilization and a facility assessment, then took public comment from more than a dozen residents and stakeholders before voting 9-0 to enter a closed session to consult the board attorney about the property under North Carolina General Statute 143-318.11(a)(3).

The discussion centered on two competing concerns: district officials cited demographic and facility data showing capacity and cost issues, while neighbors, teachers and community leaders urged the board to retain Marion as a school or community asset. Several speakers urged caution about disposing of the campus given new housing developments in the Shelby zone and what they described as overcrowding at nearby schools.

Superintendent Dr. Fisher and district staff reviewed the history and data behind the current proposal. Dr. Fisher summarized the district's reorganization and said Marion was closed at the end of the 2021-22 school year as part of consolidation; the board declared the property surplus on April 17, 2023. District presenters cited a facility assessment by McMillan Paz & Smith (MPS) that rated Marion as poor for overall facility condition and "critical"…