How District 26 came to back a tax hike

In the course of just a month, the possibility that Cary Elementary District 26 would go to referendum went from unlikely to certain.

The District 26 school board this week approved language that will ask voters in November to approve $15 million in working cash bonds.

The board on Monday backed the measure by a 5-1 vote. That was a marked change from June, when the board sent the ballot question back to committee after it appeared the board would deadlock on a 3-3 vote, killing the proposal.

When Aimee Williams, who supported going to referendum, relinquished her board seat soon thereafter, placement of a ballot question seemed all but dead.

But because Chris Spoerl and Julie Jette came to eventually back the ballot measure, the question didn't even need Williams' vote. In the end, Chris Jenner was the only board member to vote against it.

What changed in a month?

For one, administration returned to the board with a tax increase proposal that would be cheaper than any of the three options the board had previously looked at.

The $15 million in working cash bonds would cost the owner of a $300,000 home $85 over the next five years, the district estimates.

In comparison, the three options administration previously brought to the board would cost the same homeowner anywhere from $166 to $1,300 over four years, according to district estimates.

Secondly, I think the reality that the state might take over the district crystallized in the minds of some board members.

While the state has said District 26 is doing the right things to avoid a state takeover, the district is also exploring the possibility it might have to take out short-term loans backed by revenue it gets a year later - pushing the district one step closer to being certified in "financial distress" and starting the state takeover process.

Finally, parents who have watched as the board cut important programs like physical education and music from their kids' schools have spoken out loudly in favor of giving voters a choice.

Before voting to go to referendum, board members made it known Monday that the cost of a tax hike, parent support of a ballot question and especially a possible state takeover were on their minds.

"We need to keep the state at bay," Jette said.

"We (would) lose our control over what our taxes are going to be," Spoerl said.

Even if the tax increase passes, it was abundantly clear this week that it will not be the silver bullet for District 26's budget woes.

The district estimates it will still have to cut $4 million over the next four years. Officials don't expect to pay off the new debt until 2024, right about the time I will be confronting my midlife crisis.

Jenner posed a troubling question as he explained his "no" vote on Monday, one that still needs to be addressed: "Nothing's changing in the status quo. When are we ever going to get out of debt?"