The Wake County School Board races are supposed to be non-partisan, but this year that’s anything but the case.

Both Republicans and Democrats are pouring support and money into the election.

Four of the nine school board seats are up for grabs and only one incumbent, Horace Tart is in the running.

The Republican-backed “change” candidates are against mandatory year round schools and the school system’s current socioeconomic diversity policy enacted in 2000.

If they sweep Tuesday’s election, they’ll have the new majority.

“The future of our children is not a partisan issue, but it’s a big concern to the Republican Party,” said local GOP volunteer Gail Marold.

She’s also part of the political action committee “Take Wake Schools Back”.

It’s an effort to shake-up the school board in favor of candidates supporting neighborhood schools.

Marold says the PAC has funded four candidates about $400 a piece.

“When you have strong beliefs you take a stand!”

The Wake County Republican Party has endorsed; Chris Malone (District 1), John Tedesco (District 2), Deborah Prickett (District 7), and Debra Goldman (District 9).

“The sense we have right now is that parents are very, very frustrated. They don’t feel like they are being listened to, they feel like the school board has taken arrogant positions. They’ve done things in spite of overwhelming opposition,” said Wake County GOP Chairman Claude Pop

So the local party has spent $50-thousand mostly on direct mail to get out the vote for their four endorsed candidates, according to Pope.

But don’t count out Democrats who are backing three candidates in support of the board’s current policies.

“We’re involved in a major way, in a way we’ve not been involved since my knowledge which goes back to 1978,” said Wake County Democratic Party Chairman Jack Nichols.

The Wake County Democratic Party has endorsed; Rita Rakestraw (District 1), Karen Simon (District 7), and Lois Nixon (District 9).

Nichols calls this school board race the most important one in thirty years, a race to keep socioeconomic diversity policies in place.

Lawmakers merged Raleigh city schools and Wake County Schools in 1976 to diversify the student population.

Then in the year 2000, the policy was changed to reflect family-incomes.

Nichols says Democrats want to keep progressive policies in place so they too are spending money on races where the candidate usually foots his or her own bill.

“We’ve done 60-thousand direct mail pieces which we’ve not done in the past. And we’ve been running a phone bank for the past four or five weeks.

Another first, both political groups have endorsed an unaffiliated candidate in the race; the Democratic Party supports Nixon, whereas the Republicans found Prickett.

Former School Board Chairwoman Rosa Gill, (D) said she worked hard to bring all political parties to the table, “Yes. I am very loyal to my party. But when I’m working with kids, I put the kids first. That’s the way we are supposed to do it.”

No matter if Democrats stay in control of the school board they admit Wake County’s growth will continue to present challenges for the school system.