001back into open session. Yes, I heard Mr. Bridges and then I think I heard Mr. Blandon. All those in favor >> sign zero. Okay. Uh we had cons consultation with our attorney on legal options for the next step for Marian. Uh I do want to recap said assertive. I'm just going to recap it. Traditionally the board has used upset bid or sealed bid process to dispose of property. However, if the board decides further in Can you hear it? >> I can't hear you. >> Okay. Uh, if the board decides to further entertain the proposal up by one more, one less, then the board would adopt a resolution authorizing staff to enter into negotiations with nonprofit inordinance to North Carolina General Statute 160A 266B. Under this narrow statute, private negotiations are permitted. If negotiations are successful,
002the sale of property will be outlined in the purchase agreement. If the board votes to move forward in this direction, reservation North Carolina or a similar 501c3 would act as a interim uh intermediary between the I can't I can't mediary uh new glasses don't have between the Cleveland County Board of Education and one more one less to ensure adherence to the preservation agreement. All right. So, >> do you have something? >> I make a motion that we enter into a resolution under NCGS160A-266B to allow Chairman Shores, Dr. Fiser and Miss Sink to enter into negotiations with Preservation North Carolina and one more one less to bring a proposed purchase agreement to the BO board of education for final approval within the next 180 days. >> All right. I have a motion by Mr. Spur. Do
003I have a second? >> I'll make a second. >> Second, Mr. Bridges. All those in favor? All those opposed. That passes five to four. All right. Uh excuse me. Uh >> we should have had some discussion before that vote. And so >> you want to retract? >> I No, we'll just go ahead and have discussion. And if if any board members has some discussion they want to or can I retract that I did not that's my fault. >> Okay. >> All right. Anyone want to have some disc Mr. >> Yeah. I mean just want everybody to understand where I'm coming from. Um number one my mind's open. It was open. It was open when I came here. took notes for everybody. I still have the notes from two years ago from when this was discussed
004before. So yeah, my mind is open. Um or it was open. Still is. But so I understand emotional attachments. I do. Um particularly with community schools. It was 1992. I graduated high school in 76 from Crest. I'd gone to Latimore. I was upset when they closed Latimore Elementary School. Really was. It It's There was a sense of loss in there. Emotions I get emotional attachments. I truly truly do. But emotions have to take back seat to to the needs of the larger population. So honestly my my point to to start this is and it's very familiar to people that know Star Trek. The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few. I want to reiterate all the evidence. It's already been discussed all the things. But so there are some things that I
005looked at the stuff that we heard is basically primmaaccia evidence. So I'm wanted to look at go back and look myself over the last three days and look at the extrinsic data and just for context. So excuse me. So, first thing I did was went to the North Carolina Office of State Budget Management. And what we find is that there are there is some growth in Cleveland County, but not like everybody seems to think. So, in April of 1920, I mean 2020, somebody's got me doing that. You go 2020. I'm not that old, y'all. Uh there was 997527 people 99,527 in Cleveland County. 23 it was 99,534. On July of last year of 24, right after the census data came in 99,774. So in four years, Cleveland County grew by 240 residents. And this is
006the Office of State Budget Management. uh they're the top of the food chain on this data. So, Cleveland County grew by 0.2%. So, this begs the question when you start digging into deeper data of we're growing slightly. We're not regressing. So, where are the people coming from? So what we find when you start checking out the data is that even though we lose people by deaths, we lose people by immigration, out migration, most of the immigrants we have coming into Cleveland County are baby boomers. It's people coming here to retire. It's people coming here that worked in Charlotte or similar cities and are ready to get out into a more quiet atmosphere. Now, millennials in Gen Z are leaving. And I found this report about number one about the aging population. The fastest growing age
007group in Cleveland County is 65 plus. That's by the census data which increased by over 30% between 2010 and 2022. The shift reflected the county's median age which rose to 41.2 years of age by 2023. So we're right now we're our median age is 41 years plus decline in younger age age groups between 2010 and 2022. The population of the 3549 age group in Cleveland County dropped by 19.1%. The largest decline of any age bracket. And you know this age range millennials and Z's is the people that have families people have children in the school system. So our long range planning, we have to focus on Gen Z because that's the demographic landscape we have coming at us in the future. So Gen Z, the just for clarity, the age range of a range range
008of Gen Z is the mid to late 90s to the early 20110s birth. So, Gen Z, this is what Gen Z is dealing with. They're facing difficulties in the job market due to low turnover, low hiring rates, which can impact their economic stability and life choices, including starting families. The impact on birth rates, uh, the economic challenges and uncertainties affecting Gen Z likely contribute to lower birth rates as many prioritize career and financial stability over considering parenthood. And just we get stuck in paradigms, myself included. I'm a boomer. I think like a boomer unless I force myself not to. So home buying rates, boomers, was approximately 80 to 85%. When we got out of school, we got a job, we bought a house. And that's we I like to think that way. Gen X, it
009dropped off to 65 to 70% homeowner. Millennials are about 50 to 55% home ownership rate. Gen Z currently, the ones that are of age is around 10 to 15% home ownership rate. the there's a lot of implications in this, including the health of the county coming up, but I'm I'm going to stay focused on how it deals with school system. Birth rate data. Boomers 25 to 30 per thousand. Gen X 15 to 20 per thousand. Millennials 15 to 18 per thousand. They kind of maintain. But now, Gen Z current birth rates are around 12.6 Six births for 1,000 people. It's half half of what it was when I was a kid. A lot of factors involved in this. Now, also, please understand, I I get the emotional attachment thing, but I represent 14,000 students, 28,000
010parents, 2,000 employees. I have to look at this entire county, every every little corner of it, every school, every situation, and weigh that. So costbenefit ratio, I'm a retired engineer. I'll guarantee you I think in costbenefit ratio. I mean, I that's just the way my brain works. And you have to you can't get you have to leave emotions out of this to make good decisions. So, the growth potential in Cleveland County right now, Shelby's growth rate, let's see, in 2025, Shelby is growing at an estimated 0.08% annually, 800s of 1% growth. Kings Mountain is growing at 1.78%. The that's the two major cities. So, I'm going to stick with them. Um, you know, you want why why is Kings Mountain growing? It's closer to Charlotte. It's location, location, location. Kings Mountain sitting in the Xerb
011of Charlotte. Shel's not. Kings Mountain is just inside the Xerb band. So, it takes It's 28 miles. So, Mr. Grigg was talking about the highways. As I 85 widening is completed in the early 2030s, it becomes a really decent drive from Kings Mountain to Charlotte. So probably going to pick up some kids in the future from K from the Gen Z's that can't afford to live in Meckllinmberg County or Gaston County. So they're coming this direction. U okay honestly I could go on for a week about this. I won't. Um, you know, one thing I do want to mention is our own ADM data shows that what the experts UNCC various other places that actually do demographics um instead of me just reading about them. But so the change from per zone by zone from
012Kings Mountain zone between 2021 and this school year, Kings Mountain zone has picked up 31 kids. Shelby zone has lost 37 kids. Uh the Burns zone has picked up 24. Crest has lost 29. you know that's it just kind of illustrates the trend that the experts say is happening. So in conclusion based on the points and the things that I've studied and sh you know the evidence I've gathered for me I'm going to vote I did vote to proceed with this. So, and here's, you know, look, this is a big issue. A as we navigate the complexities of our community's growth and development, that's the entire county. It's crucial to prioritize the broader needs of our population over individual emotions or attachments. By focusing on datadriven insights and the potential of future generations, particularly Gen
013Z, we can strategically plan for sustainable growth. And that's not just a school system. That's the county commissioners and everything else, you know. Now, let us embrace collaboration and open dialogue. I appreciate y'all coming out. I really do. I I listen to every word of it. This is how communities thrive, benefiting all of its members. Together, we can create a vibrant future that honors our past, which is what we're trying to do with this deal. while looking or looking forward to what lies ahead. All right. Thank you. >> Thank you, Mr. Humphre. >> I do. >> You got another comment? >> Yeah. Um, we could have withdrew a voting. We could have took that school building back by law even though it's been classified as surplus. And on that $129 million that got brought up,
014the reason I question that $129 million, for an example, one of our schools was $2.8 million. I have a roof put on it and we bid it out to get it done and it didn't cost but 278,000. So that's the reason I questioned I questioned. That's their opinion, but we need to make sure that we're and I voted for them. I thought they'd have better opinions than that. I've been in construction 50 something years myself. So, uh, I think we needed done some more planning, more checking, especially when I got to seeing these bids all out of whack on repairs. Uh, I questioned that. So, but it's nothing against the that other group without a shadow of a doubt because that is a good organization, but without any means. Uh we need more group. We
015need groups like that. And uh but we've got that building and I think we needed to make sure that our plan the plan and this growth that these numbers that's been brought out here uh I just believe they going to be more kids than that. Uh, I hope my granddaughters have some more babies or has some babies and they going to go to school if I'm still alive and I know my granddaughters is going to make them go to school. So, I want a place for them to go to school and thank you very much for y'all coming. Everybody coming. Appreciate it. >> Mr. W. >> Anything else? >> I'd like to make a quick comment. So, I know I come across kind of rough and I wish more people were here. Uh, I'm I
016mean what I I say what I mean to mean what I say. I I I've never claimed to be a politician. Uh I when I ran for this office, I don't have a dog in in most of the fights, so I don't bring any emotion to it. I I I'm appreciate uh Mr. Humphrey's uh data. I I did some checking on my own and and I did my homework. I did my homework before a vote was ever taken to close the school. Um and I do what's best for the county. I don't, like I said, I don't have any emotion in it. So I can I I feel for everybody that has emotion to it and I would I do not want to destroy your community. So with that this is the be this is
017the best option. This is this is a gift that was sent because otherwise it would have gone up for auction and and then it been it had been whoever got it got to decide what what was happening. This organization is going to take it and through the preservation organization they you get to keep your school. It's just repurposed for another good purpose. So, I'm I'mma tell you, like I said, I come across kind of rough sometimes, but but I'm making the best decision I can make. I'm not doing it for a vote. I'm not doing it to make people happy. I'm not doing it to make people sad. I'm I'm taking the data that I know and and and to the best of my ability making a good the best decision that I can make
018for the Marian community and for our county. >> Thank you, Mr. Sperlin. Before I read this resolution, um it's on my mind. It's on my chest and I want to get it off. Go ahead and send me the hate mails emails if you want to. That's okay. But it was said that the public was misled. Uh, this started off as an operation that could have just simply went through operations and came before the board, but I said no. I wanted the entire board to hear the presentation from this group and let the public have input. We had the special call meeting and at the end of that meeting my I remember saying this we will be putting information all this information on our community website for people to review. Then we'll have another meeting. Nowhere
019in there did I say it would be a back and forth or it would any any any shape like that for but but for to say the people have been misled is not correct. Those of you who were here at that meeting know exactly what was said. There was nothing about what I've done that's been misleading. I could have let this stop at the operations brought it to the board but I didn't. So, I just want to address that because that that bothers me that some think that the public was misled and I in no way, shape or form and the record speaks for itself. These meetings are televised. Go back and watch the last meeting. See anywhere in there that I said there would be a back and forth or anything. I think it
020was specifically said give our staff a couple of days to put information on there. Go and read it is what I see. With that said, I want to read the resolution that was approved. Whereas the Cleveland County Board of Education owns property partial 1 19754 located at 410 Forest Hill Drive, Shelby, North Carolina 28150. Whereas the board voted on April 17, 2023 to declare the property surplus and no longer necessarily for public school purposes. Whereas the board has offered the property to the county commission pursuant to North Carolina General Statute 115 518A and the board of commissioners expressed no interest in the property. Whereas the board finds that in the best interest of Clemson County Schools will be served by the sale of said real property as is in accordance with North Carolina General Statutes.
021Whereas the board witnesses wishes, excuse me, to dispose of the property pursuant to North Carolina General Statute 168-266B providing for the private sale of the property to the nonprofit organization Preservation North Carolina in consultation with One More, One Less, an organization with ties to the historic Marian community. Whereas the sale of the property will be outlined in a purchase agreement. Now, now therefore, be it resolved by the Cleveland County Board of Education that the superintendent, board chair, and board attorney are authorized to enter into negotiation with Preservation North Carolina and one more, one less negotiate the terms of sale and bring the board for a final approval within 180 days, adopted this 21st day of October, 2025. With that being said, I'll entertain a motion to adjourn. >> Motion, >> Mr. Sperlin. >> Second. All
022in favor, have a good night.