WEDDINGTON — Board of Education members backed Union County commissioners Tuesday.

Board members said they were pleased with commissioners’ decision Monday to allow the schools’ Facilities Committee to operate without county Planning Board intervention.

Facilities Committee and Planning Board members have been at odds for several weeks on the school construction and renovation process.

Planning Board members hoped for oversight on school construction to avoid unnecessary costs to taxpayers. The dispute stemmed from a Marvin Ridge stormwater project that the Planning Board says wasted thousands of dollars by not adhering to state guidelines.

School officials said they followed rules as they were stated at the current time.

A September meeting between the two parties established a possible compromise that the Planning Board rejected last week. Commissioners took the school board’s side on Monday, allowing the Facilities Committee to skip what committee members said would have been a drawn-out permitting process.

School officials said delayed construction could have led to inadequate facilities for students.

The Facilities Committee will now follow the steps it developed with the Planning Board in September, providing project documents to county staff as construction and renovations unfold.

One such document is a checklist provided by the Planning Board that outlines permitting requirements.

Also, in closed session, the school board also discussed the pending lawsuit with Union Academy to seek advice from its attorney.

Union Academy and six other state charter schools are suing the state, as well as their respective counties and school boards for a chance at capital funding. Charter schools receive local and state money only for operational expenses. Traditional public schools receive both operational and capital funding.

No comments about the lawsuit were made in open session.