A North Carolina appeals court is weighing whether taxpayers must provide a prekindergarten program that can prepare every eligible at-risk child for school.
The state court of appeals last week heard arguments on whether prekindergarten is included in the constitutional promise that every child has a right to a sound, basic education.
Lawyers for poor counties, the state board of education, and an organization representing North Carolina school boards argued the court should step in. They say the program has for seven years helped needy 4-year-olds prepare for a successful school career and shouldn’t be subject to political changes in the legislature.
A state government lawyer argued that a judge went too far last summer by ordering that no eligible 4-year-old can be turned away from the program.
