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 construction and whether prior design money could be reused. Doctor Dahl and others said they also preferred more time but said certainty that a new school would be built was important for the Carthage community.

The discussion included the schools’ water system. Board members said recent county tests showed Carthage Elementary’s water was clean and that the problem appeared to be sediment in aging campus pipes rather than PFAS contamination; Miss Purvis said PFAS‑certified filters are being installed where needed countywide.

Because the Carthage decision is linked to where the district locates its new IT building, the board also considered an outstanding plan to request lottery funds from the commissioners for an IT facility on the Basque Carthage parcel. Miss Purvis asked the board to pause that request so staff could ask Retson to evaluate a 3.5‑acre parcel behind New Century Middle and report back.

The board moved and seconded the pause; after discussion the motion to halt the district’s request for lottery funds passed unanimously. Miss Purvis said staff will return to the board at a March meeting with findings on whether the New Century parcel could host the IT building and what cost or timeline differences would follow.

What happened - Motion: endorse moving forward with a smaller Carthage Elementary on the current site to be funded without a general‑obligation bond. Outcome: passed 6–1. - Motion: pause the district’s endorsement of requesting lottery funds for an IT building at this time so staff can evaluate the 3.5‑acre New Century parcel. Outcome: passed unanimous.

What’s next Staff will have Retson and the district’s architect examine the New Century parcel and report to the board at the March meeting (the district said March 2 or March 9). If the parcel is feasible, the board would then consider whether to request lottery funds and how to phase any construction to preserve future expansion options.

Quotes (selected) "This decision would provide 100% certainty that Carthage will receive a new school," — Miss Purvis, interim superintendent. "This is being sprung on the school board right now, and we're gonna vote on it in 20 minutes," — Mister Hensley, board member, on the timing and lack of briefing materials. "We would be reaching out to the town to see if they would allow us to put [mobile units] near Carthage right there at the park," — Miss Purvis, on temporary housing for students during construction.

Authorities and clarifying details - Funding mechanism discussed: commissioners’ cash, limited‑obligation financing, or other non‑general‑obligation alternatives (referenced by staff; not a statute). Referenced by: action_carthage_endorsement. - Estimated Carthage capacity: 400–450 students (staff recommendation). - Temporary housing: approximately five to six mobile units planned for the site during construction (staff estimate). - IT lottery funds amount previously discussed: $3,300,000 (staff said this was the request endorsed at the prior meeting for the IT building on the Basque Carthage site).

Provenance topicintro: {"block_id_start":"SEG 055","block_id_end":"SEG 056","evidence_excerpt":"Good afternoon, and thank you all for being here... they've shared that they do have the ability to pay for a smaller school without having the need to take it to Bond." ,"reason_code":"topicintro"} topfinish: {"block_id_start":"SEG 1672","block_id_end":"SEG 1676","evidence_excerpt":"All in favor of the motion, say aye... Aye... Unanimous.","reason_code":"topicfinish"}