Last week I watched in horror as the Wake County School Board argued in front of the North Carolina Court of Appeals that a group of parents in Wake County should not have the legal authority to challenge the system in court over forcing their children into year-round schools against their will.

Ann Majestic, lead counsel for the Wake County School System (WCPSS) in essence told the three judge panel that they should not even decide the merits of the case because several parents in the system (known as the group WakeCares) have no legal right to question the Wake system in court.

Americans for Prosperity is on record as supporting the parents of WakeCares, through significant financial contributions as well as other support. WakeCares is a great example of the kind of grassroots effort to fight the abuses of government that Americans for Prosperity-North Carolina is dedicated to supporting.

While the stance of the WCPSS is shocking, it is not surprising. This system long ago stopped being accountable to parents and taxpayers. The Wake system continues to use an expensive cross county bussing scheme to divide our community along racial lines and force children further away from their homes to attend school.

Despite calls for construction reform, the WCPSS has not changed the excessively expensive way they build and maintain school buildings. The system has refused to change virtually any of their policies despite constant unrest in the community. Every year parents protest unneeded reassignments and many are forced to simply to leave the system if they can afford to do so.

Americans for Prosperity continues to support a wide range of school reforms in Wake County. Most importantly we support turning over construction and maintenance of school buildings to the Wake County Commissioners. The commissioners are accountable to all voters unlike members of the school board who are only accountable to a narrow group of voters in separate districts. The result is that instead of focusing tax dollars on increasing capacity for new students in high growth areas, voters are forced to fund needless building and renovation projects inside the Raleigh beltline to appease school board members who will not advance a bond package without them.

The much disputed renovations at Lacy Elementary School are a great example. Taxpayers are slated to pay to tear down buildings that were built in the late 1990’s. The end result of the 22 million dollar renovation will be that Lacy has fewer seats to educate children than in the past.

In the long run all Wake County School Board members should be elected countywide just like our county commissioners. This would prevent inside the beltline members of the school board from ganging up on suburban communities like Garner and Apex like is happening with forced year-round schools.

Sadly the only way the voters can speak with a countywide voice on our school system is through votes to increase funding to the school system.

While the WCPSS may use a court of law to contend a group of taxpaying parents don’t have a right to question what they do, we will soon have another chance to show the real meaning of “taxpayer standing.”

Sometime in the next two years voters will be asked to approve massive new funding for the WCPSS, likely through a combination of higher taxes and bonds.

Americans for Prosperity-North Carolina will be working to convince voters to say no to any new taxes or bonds until the WCPSS learns that parents and taxpayers really do have “standing” and should be listened to.

We wish there was a better way to get the WCPSS to change their ways, but currently all other options have failed. It is time for Wake County taxpayers to take a stance and vote against higher taxes and school bonds.

-- Dallas Woodhouse is the State Director of Americans for Prosperity-North Carolina a group dedicated to advancing every North Carolinian's right to economic freedom and opportunity.