School board tables Marion, questions arise as to why

By Chuck Thompson | The Shelby Independent

Marion isn’t going anywhere, one way or another, at least for now.

On Monday night, the Cleveland County School Board was originally supposed to finalize the approval to sell the old Marion Elementary School to a nonprofit group, One More, One Less.

In an unexpected move, Board Member and Vice-Chair Aaron Bridges made the motion to remove Marion from the agenda; Bridges stated he felt more discussion was needed before a decision could be made. The public in attendance seemed surprised by this motion, while the board, reactionless by this move by Bridges, all voted to table the deal until a later unspecified date.

The lack of response from even the most vocal board members clearly gave the impression that either the pro-sale faction of the board had lost support for the vote to go through, or something else was being considered – unknown at this time. While unconfirmed, a confidential source has said the board lost their 5-4 majority, and with silence from the majority of board members, when reached out for comment, only brings about more questions regarding a school board, whose lack of transparency and intentional refusal to communicate with the press for direct answers raise more questions than answers.

But CCS Board Member Ron Humphries said otherwise, later telling The Shelby Independent that the vote was delayed for further exploration of the current offer.

“The Board, as a corporate entity, has voted to instruct the Superintendent and Board attorney to initiate negotiations with Preservation North Carolina (PNC) concerning the Marion School property,” explained Humphries. “It's important to remember that negotiations involve a constructive dialogue aimed at reaching a mutually agreeable solution. This process balances shared and conflicting interests through effective communication and strategic planning, ultimately working toward a fair price for the property's sale.”

Humphries continued, “PNC has presented an offer, and following last night's decision, the Board believes it is wise to engage in further discussions to explore this offer and consider a potential counter proposal. For context, Preservation North Carolina is a non-profit organization committed to preserving and promoting the state's historic buildings, landscapes, and sites. This negotiation is complex, akin to 3D Chess, with many intricate factors at play, rather than a simple game of Whack-A-Mole.”

Board Member Ronnie Grigg, one of the dissenting votes who is against the sale, said he had no problem postponing the vote to further look into options. He would like to see a stronger offer that could be an amount worth putting back into the school system, while also still believing keeping Marion would be the best option.

“I seconded the motion (to postpone the deal) not because I’ll ever agree with selling, but because I want more information on the issue,” said Grigg. He also noted there’s empty office spaces around the county that would make viable options for this organization.  “You just have to look around and it’s in much better shape than Marion, too.”  He also stands by that it’s cheaper to renovate Marion than to build a new school even with grant money.  

During the meeting Monday night, after the motion to remove Marion from the agenda, the school board went into closed session, stating it was, “To discuss and consult with the attorney,” as said by Bridges. When they returned, the board continued on with the amended agenda, and then public comments were made, many of them not pertaining to Marion, but rather one comment was in regard to ICE and Border Patrol on school grounds, wanting the board to be more elaborate in their procedure if this was to happen. Another comment was made which criticized the all-elected school board, in almost an accusation-like tone, that they do not represent the faces of Cleveland County enough, but it was not mentioned by the commenter that the board is composed of an all-elected council by residents of Cleveland County.   

A few other residents made comments about Marion School, with at least one speaking on the price agreement. One commenter said she had prepared two different speeches depending on the outcome of the Marion School decision but that since it was removed from the agenda she would have to speak otherwise, still critical of the board even though the Marion deal was tabled for later.

Board Members Danny Blanton and Ronnie Grigg held their stance, speaking briefly against the Marion deal, insisting on the need for the school building at a later date, stating building a new school would take longer than remodeling Marion. They did mention their support of the foster care organization, while still insisting on retaining the property for the school system.

But Walter Spurling took the highlights of the evening, speaking on the topic – he seemed to be clearly fed-up with the whole topic, stating “I don’t care who we sell it to, I really don’t” Spurling said. He lauded One More One Less as a ‘good operation’ but added, “I don’t really care who we sell it to, but here’s why I would like to go with that sale… my loyalties lay with them (for the deal). I live in rural Cleveland County; I would not want somebody to pull in beside me and build a chicken house.”

This comment by Spurling somehow elicited a response from the audience, causing Board Chairman Joel Shores to pound the gavel to bring order back to the meeting. “That is a reference – it’s a reference!” Spurling noted, using an example common to rural residents of Upper Cleveland. “We pick who takes over the school and they refurbish – or we get to put it up for auction and then the money wins,” Spurling continued. “Everyone that says ‘let’s go with the money’ it ain’t your backyard,” – This also stirred a couple of people in the crowd, to which Shores hammered the gavel for another return to order.

Spurling continued, “The people I spoke with today said they want to keep it… and since Ms. Ross was so kind to give out my phone number – .”  he was interrupted by an unidentified woman yelling back in the audience, to which Shores hit the gavel again, and stated he would have anyone removed that spoke disrespectfully out of turn again.

Spurling shifted gears, “If the people of that community don’t care where that school goes,” he continued, “then I’m good with auctioning it off – I’m good with it. But my belief is, money is not always the end. It’s their community; and I would like to abide by what they would like to do.”

Spurling continued, through the low murmuring of hecklers and verbal jousts, he noted that they are building houses, especially for retires, he asked the public to go back to the previous meeting and review the data presented during the meeting and then make a decision, “But don’t make a decision based on what people say.”  He noted it matters what they do to that community, adding, “But if the people of that community don’t care – then why should I?”

The Shelby Independent reached out to several board members and other school officials for comment, but most requests for a quote went without a reply, or responding with simply 'no comment.'

The Shelby Independent will continue to provide the readers / residents of Cleveland County with more information to follow on this story, as it becomes available.

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Chuck Thompson is a reporter and columnist for The Shelby Independent.