School costs chafe Wake's childless

Most oppose higher tax to house more students

Wake County's noisy clash over how to assign students and arrange calendars for its increasingly crowded public schools was only the beginning.

As surging growth forces the rapid construction of more schools -- and the prospect of higher taxes for everyone -- one result is a divide just as deep among the broader county population, including the two-thirds of households with no kids in schools.

A large majority of Wake citizens opposes paying higher taxes for more schools, according to a poll conducted last week for The News & Observer.

To an even greater extent, those without children oppose higher property taxes, a new "transfer tax" on the sale of homes and businesses, or a school bond referendum this year, the poll found.

They're equally opposed to raising the local sales tax to pay for schools -- and equally in favor of making developers pay "impact fees" on new housing.

Almost half of people with no children would favor hypothetical taxes targeting those with schoolchildren. That's not legal, but it's appealing to many taxpayers who don't use the schools and don't want to pay more for them.

"In this day and age of pay as you go, why don't they let parents who are utilizing the system come up with the difference?" asked business owner Bob Williamson, 46, of Wake Forest, who has no children.

Williamson, who owns a commercial real-estate company, said he has been paying school taxes for more than 20 years. He proposes adding a "school user fee."

"The last thing I want to do is put more money into education, because I don't want to pay for something I never use," Williamson said. "If you want to pay more for schools, play the lottery."

Some senior citizens, especially those on fixed incomes, have a similar view.

"I've had enough taxin'," said Carridene Narron, 83, of Raleigh, a retired title examiner at the state Division of Motor Vehicles. "It's getting to be ridiculous."

Narron, a retirement home resident who lives on Social Security and a modest state pension, suggests an alternative: a new school tax on newcomers.

"Let them know before they move in," she said. "When they're hauling people in here, they should first consider whether we've got room for them."

Williamson and Narron are part of a vocal backlash against Wake's growth, which has strained schools, roads, parks, and water and sewer service throughout the county.

Wake grows by an average of 98 residents a day, up 50 percent from just four years ago. Wake schools have gained more than 30,000 students in the past six years -- almost as much as Durham's entire school system -- and they have more than 128,000 this year.

Growth is speeding up, with almost 41,000 more students coming in the next five years, including about 8,000 next year.

Last fall, Wake voters narrowly approved a record $970 million school bond issue. County commissioners and school board members are divided on when to schedule the next referendum on perhaps $500 million to $1 billion in school bonds. Public support for another one soon appears weak.

Poll: Growth mishandled

Among the areas of disagreement, Wake residents seem unusually united on one point: Local leaders are doing a lousy job of handling growth.

Three in four people surveyed in the N&O poll said Wake's commissioners and elected town leaders are doing a fair or poor job managing growth.

Only one in seven respondents said Wake's commissioners are doing a good or excellent job handling growth, while one in five gave town leaders good or excellent marks. Slightly more, one in four, said Wake's school board is handling growth well.