Moore County Board ratifies McDonald parcel purchase, releases redacted closed‑session minutes

The Moore County Schools Board of Education voted Nov. 3 to release redacted portions of closed‑session minutes from Sept. 2 that relate to property acquisition and legal advice, and it ratified the board’s recent purchase of the McDonald parcel.

Board attorney Mr. Schwartz told the board the proposed release would specifically allow redacted minutes tied to property acquisition and legal advice to be made public. "This would ratify the purchase of the McDonald parcel," Mr. Schwartz said when summarizing the ratification item. Dr. Dahl moved to release the redacted minutes; the motion was seconded and approved by voice vote. Later, the board voted to ratify the McDonald parcel purchase; the chair reported the tally as 6–1.

The release and the ratification were added to the agenda earlier in the meeting after the board returned from a closed session. The board had moved into closed session at the meeting start for the purposes listed on the agenda and then returned to open session to continue business.

Board members did not use the Nov. 3 discussion to change decisions about how the McDonald parcel will be used; Mr. Schwartz emphasized the ratification concerns only the legality of the purchase and not other funding or site‑use questions.

The board approved the redaction and the ratification by voice vote; the record supplied during the meeting showed the ratification passed on a 6–1 tally. The board's action completes an internal legal review and documents the board’s prior purchase in public minutes. The superintendent and staff indicated any subsequent questions about funding or program use of the site will be addressed at future meetings.