Cary District 26 board president resigns
Cary Elementary District 26 school board President Dave Ruelle abruptly resigned late Monday after board members voted 5-2 to close Maplewood School and delayed action on putting a tax hike request to voters.
Ruelle voted against closing Maplewood, saying that closing Prairie Hill School would save more money.
"As we were ready to go into closed session, he handed (Superintendent Brian) Coleman a note and walked out the door," board Secretary Chris Jenner said. "We were all very surprised by it."
Ruelle said the unwillingness of the board and administration to seriously tackle the district's deficit prompted him to step down.
"There are no plans to reduce expenditures or avert once again exceeding the budgeted deficit," Ruelle wrote in his resignation letter. "There has been no concern expressed by (the) board as a whole or administration about this higher deficit."
District leaders have pledged to balance the 2010-11 budget with reductions, new taxes or a combination of both, but Ruelle said he's heard that before.
"The discussions and the focus of balancing the budget - go back through the entire five years I've been on the board," Ruelle said. "We're out of time, and it's just reached a point where not addressing what we can right now, putting everything off until next year just makes it worse."
Coleman did not return a call seeking comment but said in a statement, "Mr. Ruelle's passion for wanting the very best for our students has made a positive impact on District 26. His commitment to District 26 was evident through the many hours he devoted to serving as a District 26 board member. We wish him the very best."
The district is accepting applications to fill Ruelle's seat until Friday, Dec. 4. Ruelle's replacement will serve until the April 2011 elections.
District 26 is trying to close a budget gap expected to grow to $5.3 million at the end of next year. Officials are mulling $5.4 million in proposed cuts, including steep reductions to music, art and physical education.