Bonds will be on the ballot in District 26

One month after they split over going to referendum, Cary Elementary District 26 school board members were nearly unanimous Monday in deciding to put a question on the November ballot.

Voters will be asked to approve $15 million in working cash bonds, which would cost the owner of a $300,000 home $85 over the next five years, the district estimates.

Before Monday's vote, board members expressed fear that the district will soon be unable to pay employees' salaries or vendors' bills, and that the state will takeover ­­- potentially raising taxes unilaterally and imposing other financial decisions.

"It wouldn't just be a benign financial oversight panel," board President Chris Spoerl said. "We lose our control over what our taxes are going to be ... This is what we have to do at this time, and then we can move forward from there and solve the rest of the problem."

The board voted 5-1 to put the question on the ballot. Chris Jenner cast the lone dissenting vote.

Besides avoiding the loss of local control, District 26, ranked fifth-worst in the state this year in terms of financial health, is trying to stop short-term borrowing and deficit spending, restore positive fund balances and avoid further cuts.

The board voted earlier this year to lay off 80 teachers and eliminate music, art and physical education as part of $6.6 million in cuts.

On Monday, parents in District 26 urged the board to approve a ballot question, with some even asking for a bigger tax increase option.

"Yes, it may keep the state from coming in, but we're still going to have reductions in educational values," Cary resident Bruce Ritter said of the relatively modest option that will appear on the ballot. "What a lot of people in the community are saying is, 'You have to go back and solve the problem.'"

District leaders, though, said they tried to come up with a tax hike option that met the needs of the district and had a realistic chance of passing.

"There's no scientific approach," Superintendent Brian Coleman said. "This is what we need, and this is what we think is the least impact on the taxpayer."

Even if the ballot measure passes, administrators say the district still needs an additional $4 million in reductions through the 2013-14 school year.