Parents ante $4.3 mil to save Cary District 26

Brent Lueck moved his family to Cary 10 years ago to start a career teaching at Cary Junior High School.

He had switched careers from the parks and recreation field in the hope of combining his passion for history and desire to work with kids. Getting a job as a geography teacher in Cary was a dream come true, and buying a home in Cary was just icing on the cake.

That all changed in March, when Lueck was one of 71 full-time teachers laid off as part of $6.6 million in budget cuts in Cary Elementary District 26.

Now, Lueck could get a second chance to live his dream.

Thanks to his neighbors.

A group of largely anonymous parents has offered to donate more than $4.3 million to District 26 to hire back 68 teachers and restore art, music and physical education - programs eliminated earlier this year in an effort to erase a recurring deficit and stave off a possible state takeover.

That offer has some teachers and parents understandably excited.

"I love Cary. I love the community in Cary," said Lueck, a 41-year-old father of two sons who attend Deer Path School in Cary. "I'd love to be able to do what I love to do in a place that I love."

But with every potential windfall, there is a catch. In this case, many.

As Monday night's board meeting revealed, District 26 is a long way from coming to terms with the group of parents that has offered to provide the money.

The parents behind the donation effort began brainstorming ways to save teachers' jobs, maintain low class sizes and keep treasured programs in the spring, when the extent of the cuts become clear.

"It started out as a grass-roots group of people that became very concerned about what was going to happen to their children's education," said Dave Ruelle, a former District 26 board president who is working with the group.

From an initial group of about 12 parents, the group grew, tapping personal networks within and outside Cary to raise $4,319,125, Ruelle said.

At the donors' request, the foundation has not disclosed the names of the donors to the public or even the district. Ruelle said the $4.3 million is a combination of large and small donations, but he declined to elaborate.

Of greater immediate concern to District 26 officials is whether the promised funds actually exist. Ruelle on Tuesday asserted the money has been secured.

"We have the money in an account," he said. "The money is in hand."

District 26 so far has received no verification of the funds, and district officials say they will not accept the parents' offer without proof that the money is there.

"We're all in favor of restoring programs, but we need proof that there is funding for these programs," Superintendent Brian Coleman said.

Ruelle says District 26 will get its proof on or after Aug. 19, when the formation of the Soar to Higher Heights Foundation is scheduled to be completed.

But district officials say the parent group has blown deadlines before.

"We have asked for verification," Coleman said. "They have provided some dates, and those deadlines have passed. We're hopeful that verification of funds will be completed next Thursday."

If that happens, Coleman says, the district would have to delay the start of school by two weeks, until after Labor Day, giving administrators enough time to call back teachers and rearrange class schedules.

Proof that the money is there isn't the only concern school officials have. They also worry that the district, which is facing a possible state takeover, could be pushed over the brink if the foundation, which has proposed 12 equal installments of money, fails to deliver a payment.

An Illinois State Board of Education official warned Monday that District 26 could quickly find itself under the authority of a state-appointed financial panel if the district hires back teachers and the foundation doesn't hold up its end of the bargain.

"What happens if they default on the arrangement?" said Deb Vespa, division administrator for the state board. "It's going to look very unfavorable for the school district."

And it could all be a very expensive Band-Aid.

All interested parties - board members, administrators, the parent group and the state board - stressed that the donation would do nothing to address the district's underlying issues, namely a structural deficit, depleted fund balances and high levels of short-term borrowing.

Administrators said Tuesday they would still have to cut the same programs and teachers - only a year later - in addition to $4 million in reductions for the 2011-12 and 2012-13 school years.

"We're going to have to cut $6.3 million at the end of this year if we don't get the money next year," said T. Ferrier, director of finance and operations.

District officials say they still need to go forward with a referendum in November seeking a $15 million tax increase and worry voters will be confused by the $4.3 million donation.

"My concern is people will look at this and feel, 'Well, if they get the $4.3 million, they won't need a referendum from us,' when they are two different issues," board President Chris Spoerl said. "The $15 million is meant to address the financial structure of the district and put it on firm footing."

If the district and the foundation come to an agreement on the donation, they would also need the approval of the teachers union to make proposed changes, in particular adding 20 minutes to Cary Junior High teachers' day.

The union said in a statement Monday it supports the parent group's proposal, and district officials said the union is on board with the changes. Union leaders could not be reached for comment on Tuesday.

The school board will take up the issue next on Thursday, with a possible vote on the donation set for Aug. 23.

Finance Committee Chairman Chris Jenner summed up board members' ambivalence: "We would love for this to happen. We would love to see programs restored, even for a year. But we want to make sure it actually does happen and we can't ensure that without some sort of guarantee we can meet the obligations we take on."