Cary Dist. 26 school foundation rescinds $4.3 million offer

Just two weeks after the public first learned of a proposal to save teachers and programs with a $4.3 million grant to Cary schools, the offer is off the table.

The Soar to Higher Heights Foundation announced Sunday it was rescinding its offer, which it announced publicly on Aug. 9.

In a statement, the parent group said it is withdrawing the offer because the District 26 school board voted earlier this month not to delay the start of school.

The delayed start would have enabled the district to hire back teachers and rearrange class schedules to comply with the terms of the proposed $4.3 million grant.

But board members said they could not disrupt the beginning of the school year when they had not yet seen verification of the foundation's funds. Classes are set to start Wednesday.

In an e-mail Sunday, former District 26 board president and foundation spokesman David Ruelle said the foundation's offer was based on the assumption that the teachers and programs would be restored for a full school year.

"The action (not to delay school) made it impossible to provide a full year of restored programs and class sizes as presented," the statement read. "The foundation is therefore unable to reconcile the grant proposed on Aug. 9 to what costs would now be for less than a full year of proposed restorations."

Ruelle's announcement came a day after he admitted the foundation, as school board members had suspected, did not actually have any of the money in hand but instead had "solid pledges" for the sum.

Ruelle had earlier said that the money was "in an account" and "in hand."

Board President Chris Spoerl said that after Ruelle's admission Saturday that the foundation did not have the money in hand, the foundation's decision to rescind the offer was moot.

"When you told me they didn't have the money, it was all dead anyway," Spoerl said. "Their withdrawing the offer doesn't really change anything as far as we're concerned."

The parent group first floated its offer to District 26 officials in May after the district cut $6.6 million from its budget by laying off teachers and cutting from programs such as music, art and physical education.

But board members say the parent group repeatedly has missed self-imposed deadlines to become established as a nonprofit organization and provide proof of the funds to the district.

Since the offer became public on Aug. 9, board members have grown increasingly impatient with the group's failure to meet those deadlines and made it clear they will not act without proof the money is there.

In its announcement, the foundation encouraged District 26 to still apply for a grant from Soar to Higher Heights, a possibility Spoerl said he'd consider as long as the board's conditions - verification of funds and guaranteed funding for the entire year - were met.

The school board was set to vote Monday on whether to accept the foundation's offer, but after Sunday's announcement, the board took no action.

"There's really nothing to discuss," Spoerl said.

Ruelle could not be reached for comment.