Moore County board endorses smaller Carthage Elementary funded outside a bond; pauses IT lottery request

The Moore County Board of Education on Feb. 16 endorsed a plan to replace Carthage Elementary with a smaller school on the current campus and to have county commissioners fund that project without taking it to a general‑obligation bond. The board voted 6–1 to endorse the path recommended by interim superintendent Miss Purvis and Dr. Locklear.

Miss Purvis told the board the replacement would accommodate roughly 400–450 students and ‘‘would provide 100% certainty that Carthage will receive a new school,’’ because the commissioners said they would fund the project outside of a bond. She described a two‑phase approach: removing several older back buildings, placing about five to six mobile units temporarily near the campus, then constructing a two‑story building behind the existing school so students can move into the new building before demolition of the old structures.

Several board members voiced procedural and substantive concerns before the vote. Mister Hensley objected to the speed of the proposal and to a lack of pre‑briefing materials, saying the plan had been ‘‘sprung on the school board’’ and pressing for more detail about costs, student housing during…