Cary District 26 board welcomes two new board members
Cary Elementary District 26 brought on two new faces to replace a pair of board members who stepped down from the school board in November.
Scott Coffey and Aimee Williams will fill the two vacancies left by former board President Dave Ruelle and then-Vice President Steve Bush, who resigned a week apart from each other.
Coffey and Williams were among 18 people who applied for the open seats.
They were selected Thursday night from five finalists and will be appointed at a special meeting Monday.
Coffey is a certified public accountant and president and founder of Care Express Products, a medical supply company in Cary.
Williams has a background in business in financial management - she is a partner and co-founder of Reynolds Williams Group, a bank consulting firm.
Both have children attending school in the district.
In a news release, board President Chris Spoerl said the board faces challenging times this school year, which include considering $5.4 million in proposed cuts to music, art and physical education programs.
"The board felt that both candidates' experiences and skills would strengthen the board's ability to make the best decisions for the district and its students," Spoerl said in the release.
Hopefully, this marks the end of the revolving door.
Ruelle said he left the board, believing fellow members and the administration weren't serious about mending the district's financial outlook - his departure came soon after the board voted to close Maplewood School, a move that takes place at the end of the school year.
Bush's resignation, meanwhile, came the same night he voted against the board going to referendum.
The tax increase measure failed to pass the endorsement of the board. It would have asked voters to support a $5.4 million tax increase, enough money to put the district in the black and avoid painful cuts.
In his resignation letter, Bush said new demands at work meant he would "Not have the time, effort or energy to continue on this board."