The petition
The undersigned residents of Wake County request that the electoral process for the Wake County Board of Education be amended to establish the nonpartisan plurality election method in accordance with G.S. 163-279(a)(1), 163-163-292 and 163-294.2, except that only persons who are registered to vote in the district shall be permitted to file a notice of candidacy for election in that district. Such election shall be governed by the provisions of Chapter 163 of the General Statutes.
Stated simply, we are requesting that all Wake County Board of Education positions be converted to âat-largeâ election in which all citizens vote in all board contests.
Todayâs district-based electoral process allows citizens to vote for only one of the nine Board of Education positions, thus denying citizens the right to vote for the remaining board positions. The education of our children is one of our greatest responsibilities as parents and citizens, and it is unacceptable that we be disenfranchised by the electoral process.
Although we look to our local and county leaders for support, we fully understand that the Wake County delegation of the North Carolina General Assembly has the responsibility to enact legislation that would establish at-large elections.
It is clear that under the current electoral process, the Board of Education is not adequately serving the needs of Wake County citizens, for example:
⢠Students are forced or coerced into attending Mandatory Year Round schools, impacting their family life and limiting their participation in school programs such as band, athletics or extra-curricular activities.
⢠Annual student reassignments occur, with little concern for the stress imparted on children and families.
⢠These reassignments have not been effective. Many schools are significantly under-enrolled, whereas others have over-crowded classrooms that violate North Carolina state guidelines for class size.
⢠The Board of Education has declared that neighborhood schools do not exist in Wake County. We see students who live across the street from their school redistricted to schools further away.
⢠The constant redistricting inhibits parental involvement; parents are now much more hesitant to become involved in schools, including organizations such as the PTA, when they live far from their assigned school and know that their tenure may be short-lived.
⢠Our high school drop-out rate is abysmal, 17.4%
⢠Citizen support for much-needed school bonds continues to decline. The 2006 bond passed by a margin of only 2%, and future bonds are at significant risk of failure.
⢠Parents and their children are fleeing the school system. In Wake County, 18% of students are home-schooled or attend private school -- almost twice the national average.
⢠Too many parents find themselves in situations in which they cannot vote for the school board member who represents their childâs school. We vote for one district representative based on where we reside, yet children are bused to schools in other Board of Education districts.
We live in your towns, your county and your state legislative districts. Please support granting us full voting rights for Board of Education elections, much like we already have for municipal and other county elections, and much like voters in other school districts have.
(Neither your address nor your email address will be displayed online)
Sign the petition
Fields marked * are required.