Residents and board debate Marion School sale as community questions transparency and price

The Cleveland County Board of Education heard extended public comment and internal debate on a proposed Marion School sale, with speakers urging greater transparency and some board members defending a sale to a nonprofit that would repurpose the building for student services.

At the meeting, staff reported that the Safety and Operations Committee had approved a recommendation to proceed with a purchase agreement that would involve Preservation North Carolina and a back-to-back closing with One More One Less; that committee recommendation will be forwarded to the full board for final action. Community members repeatedly asked for full purchase agreements, valuations, and clarifying materials to be made available before a final vote.

Several public commenters asked the board to delay or reject the sale. ‘‘This decision should have never come before this board without the completed purchase agreements for you to review and for the public to review,’’ Jeanne Ross said, urging more transparency and noting a public-records request about capacity data had gone unanswered for six weeks. Another commenter raised concerns about the reported sale price, saying it had been described at prior meetings as merely $140,000 while tax records previously listed higher valuations.

Others urged the board to prioritize community benefit and services for students. ‘‘I believe my first responsibility is children,’’ a board member who voted in operations in favor of the nonprofit sale said in explaining that the buyer’s programming could help foster youth in the district.

Board members had conflicting emphases: some, including chair Walter Sperling, said local residents’ preferences for how the building is reused should carry weight, while others and many speakers urged the board to ensure the district secures fair market value and retains sufficient space for anticipated enrollment growth. Several speakers pointed to demographic indicators and local development as reasons to be cautious about disposing of district property without long-term planning.

The meeting did not produce a final sale vote; the committee recommendation was presented and public commenters urged that the full board review complete purchase agreements, valuations and restrictions attached to any sale before acting. The board will consider the item again at an upcoming meeting when the full-sale documentation is available.