Moore County Schools propose affordable teacher housing foundation

Moore County School Board Member David Hensley proposed a foundation to buy and rent homes to staff below market value. The Aug. 24 retreat addressed teacher recruitment, enrollment declines, and new state education laws.

The foundation would build wealth with a portfolio of real estate holdings in Moore County. Hensley said the income from rent would be used as grants by the foundation to meet the district’s needs.

The board discussed the concept and said it would need to form a committee to hire a marketing director to attract investors.

They considered elected officials for foundation member appointments. To prevent a rogue foundation, they would need to construct bylaws and define the mission to ensure it represents the district’s values.

Member Pauline Bruno said she wanted to be on the foundation board.

“Must be fun. Must be ambitious,” Hensley’s slide presentation read about how the foundation should return to fundraising events that had been abandoned, game-playing in the community, such as Are You Smart as a Fifth Grader and dunking booths.

Ken Benway requested data on the need for affordable teacher housing.

Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources Andy McCormick informed the board that they lost potential hires to surrounding counties because housing was too expensive in Moore County and that some teachers commuted. He said principals could use the foundation’s affordable housing offer as a recruitment tool.

Superintendent Jennifer Purvis said there was a need to expand affordable preschool in Aberdeen, and they could use the foundation’s wealth to provide services.

Hensley said the district should focus on students building houses instead of them volunteering at Habitat for Humanity. They could build them and the district could auction them off for sale. He furthered the discussion when the board attorney, Brandon McPherson, presented legislative updates and revealed that the General Assembly continues to allow schools to build and auction houses, but does not fund the program.

The state abolished the Homebuilding Grant Program’s recurring $200k appropriation and now requires an application with a July 15 deadline.

Hensley said he’d inquired about the homebuilding program in years prior and was told it was not legal by two superintendents.

McPherson’s legislative presentation highlighted the state’s impact on the district.

SB876 repeals the county’s use of a private police department.

SB1041 allows 12 weeks of paid paternity leave, instead of 10, for each parent.

HB 1094 removed learning achievement certifications as a requirement for a graduated driver’s license.

On July 7, Governor Stein signed Senate Bill 257 into law, enacting North Carolina’s first full state budget in more than two years. See image below.

For the first time, student enrollment dropped. The county lost 19,209 students from the previous year. This resulted in lower state funding.

The drivers of low enrollment include reduced birth rates, charter school growth and vouchers.

Lobbyists promoted the state-paid online program Learning.com and McPherson said it was a “cheap option.”

“Not something you’ll see here,” Purvis said about providing higher learning tools.

The state repealed the 23-member Textbook Commission, giving authority to local schools and “pushes down parents’ ability to challenge books,” McPherson said about instructional books, not library books.

The state adjusted the requirements to qualify as a principal by lowering the bar because schools have had difficulty finding principals. They no longer need a Master of Business Administration.

Teachers licensed to teach third grade may now also teach fourth and fifth grades.

Teachers licensed to teach sixth grade may now also teach seventh and eighth grades.

Low-performing schools must implement K-8 math for 60 minutes per day.

The district must now build an automatic English placement based on prior year grades to promote enrollment in advanced English courses.

Under Section 7.10, the state created Highly Effective Limited Licensed Teachers to remove barriers. The provisions remove Praxis Core testing for entry to take the licensure exam anytime during the third year of teaching and convert to full licenses without exams for teachers with positive growth. It expands eligibility for out-of-state and foreign-trained teachers.

Lobbyists promoted state-funded programs, Khan Academics, the Magic School Support Program, and the Diaper Bank of NC as a provider of no-cost feminine hygiene products.

Section 7.19 allows salary bonuses up to $10,000 for experienced educators in leadership.

Schools must offer the same menu selection to all students regardless of free or reduce or unpaid status.

Section 7.29 opens a pilot program focusing on career development as early as seventh grade.

Public schools must make the Lifeline information available. It will be on the Chromebooks home page and on IDs. But to speak with a counselor on Lifeline, a student must be 18. The district will provide an alternative suicide prevention number for students under 18.

Lobbyists pushed the Year13 Career Program. The state-supported program assists with career planning.

Districts must report monthly expenditure reports to NCDPI to prevent overspending.

Healthy Living courses must expand to include mental health, social media and substance abuse.

Districts must maintain accurate student-enrollment records because the state uses them to allocate funding.

Vacancies and Policies

McCormick updated the board on classroom vacancies.There are no high school vacancies and three of the nine vacancies are in the hiring process now.

The board discussed the upcoming process of reviewing 76 policies. Some have not been reviewed since 2016.

In Sept., the policy committee will review 63 policies for archive, recommendations and updates.

In Jan., the policy committee will review, update, offer recommendations, make district adjustments and archive six policies.

Lastly, the policy committee will recommend 7 new policies for adoption.

The next meeting is a combined work session and regular meeting on Sept. 14 at 10 a.m.

Aug. 25, 2026

Stephanie M. Sellers

Subscribe to Sandhills News and support this conservative journalism with advertising.

Submit news tips, events and interview requests to editor@sandhills.news.

Sandhills News is plain-English local government reporting that explains how decisions affect your land, taxes, schools and rights.