The Moore County Schools Board of Education decided Monday to proceed with the previously purchased Vass-Carthage Road and Joel Road property as the site for the new Carthage Elementary School. Following a staff review that deemed the newly district-owned parcel the most viable option for topography and future capacity, the board agreed to hold a formal vote on the matter at its upcoming Dec. 8 meeting.
Assistant Superintendent Jenny Purvis thanked board members who toured parcels and presented the executive summary. Purvis said that after additional review and a Construction Committee meeting, staff concluded that only the Needmore site and the site behind Pete’s are viable alternatives, yet recommended the already purchased Vass-Carthage Road parcel as best for district needs, traffic, topography, and future capacity.
“Following the joint meeting of the MCS Board with the Town of Carthage Board of Commissioners on November 20, 2025, the district team gave additional consideration and conducted additional reviews into the parcels presented by the town,” reports the board in a document titled Final Endorsement of Site Selection. “It is the final recommendation of staff that the parcel already purchased by the Board is the best site to meet the future needs of the entire district while being good stewards of taxpayer money.”
Purvis reviewed the already-purchased parcel, and the board discussed points that had been previously identified as pros and cons of the property.
Pros as presented by the board:
Road frontage meeting DOT ingress/egress guidance
Adequate acreage for queuing
Modest topography (30-foot drop across 30 acres)
County water 700 feet away, with room for on-site septic
Proximity metrics (2.8 miles from current Carthage Elementary)
Average daily traffic of 17,199 cars on nearby roads
Cons as presented by the board:
Outside city limits
Not among town-preferred sites
Residents have voiced concerns about traffic and development at this location
Having reviewed the options presented by the Town of Carthage, the board decided against the alternative locations and subsequently rejected them. Their efforts moving forward focus solely on the Vass-Carthage Road location.
“I appreciate that, you know, all of these options were provided for us, but I feel like all paths lead back to our purchased property on Vass-Carthage Road,” said Chair Dr. Robin Calcutt. “I feel like that gets the home run, and that it’s the best for our students and for our future schools … so I think that that is our clear path.”
Calcutt also expressed her readiness to proceed and take a final vote on Dec. 8.
“I don’t think that’s how we do things,” argued board member David Hensley, who has voiced opposition to the new school site in the past.
“Well, I’m sorry, I’m very passionate about this,” answered Calcutt.
Hensley urged the school board to present county commissioners with a detailed funding plan that mixes cash payments and bonds to accelerate school construction and renovations. He proposed paying cash for the Carthage Elementary and high school remodels, while using a bond to build a new high school, with projects sequenced so that cash flow supports concurrent upgrades, such as traffic changes at Union Pines.
Board member Steve Johnson also voiced his concern regarding the timeline. “I worry if we push too fast that we’ll miss some things on a much bigger project, like the high school,” he cautioned. “I don’t know when that conversation needs to happen or how quickly it needs to happen, but that would be a concern of mine on such a large project.”
Purvis heard his apprehension, especially considering the need for a new high school, but ultimately stated, “I just can’t promise that we would be able to find and purchase the best site by November 2026.”
Superintendent Dr. Tim Locklair, who announced his upcoming retirement earlier in the meeting, agreed. “I do advise the board, you know, move forward with the decision so we can move forward with that,” he said, “and that’s why I continue to recommend the parcel that’s been purchased.”
With a formal vote scheduled for Dec. 8, the Moore County Schools Board of Education appears poised to finalize a decision on the Vass-Carthage Road property as the possible future site of Carthage Elementary.
Click here to watch the Dec. 1 meeting on YouTube.
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~ Article by Sandhills Sentinel Assistant Editor Abegail Murphy. Abegail has been writing for Sandhills Sentinel since 2021.
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