The Wake County Republican Party announced today that Tony Tata will be the keynote speaker at their convention on March 26.

Tata is still popular with many Republicans, as evidenced by being called "beloved to us as former Wake County School Superintendent" in today's issue of the Elephant Express. Tata, who some have speculated might seek elected office, is staying in the public eye as state Transportation Secretary.

"On Tuesday, we will have a fine convention; an inspiring keynote speech from General Tony Tata, a great public servant who has a great future ahead of him in our state," said outgoing Wake GOP Chairwoman Susan Bryant in the Elephant Express.

Tata will speak at 7 p.m. at the Kerr Scott Building. Ironically, that's the same time the Wake County school system will be holding a community forum to get feedback for its superintendent search.

Here's a recap of the interviews today that Linda Gunter and Anna Johnson went through for the Wake County school board District 9 vacancy.

Gunter said she wanted to give back to the community, mentioning several times about having been a state Senator in the early 1990s and a Cary High School social studies teacher for 30 years. Gunter talked about how she brought in her students to the General Assembly to speak on issues.

If appointed, Gunter said she'd resign from her position as a registered lobbyist for the N.C. Association of Educators.

Make it six, and counting, Wake County school employees who've resigned to work for former Superintendent Tony Tata at the state Department of Transportation.

Among the list of DOT appointments announced Wednesday was that Mary Morton would be the department's inspector general. Morton is leaving her post as senior director in charge of the school system's Internal Audit Department.

Tata, the Transportation Secretary, has hired away five Wake school employees to hold key leadership roles at DOT. He also brought also his former assistant in Wake, Ashley Goolsby, to be his special assistant.

Cris Mulder is deputy secretary for internal and external affairs. Mike Charbonneau is director of communications. Randy Dishong is Deputy DMV Commissioner. Ann Dishong is director of the Governance Office.

Should the Wake County school board release to the public the names of the finalists for school superintendent?

As noted in today's article, the board will hold off until closer to May 8 to make the decision on what to do with the names of the finalists. That date will coincide with when they'll pick the semi-finalists.

The question is what to do when the board whittles it down to two or three finalists by the end of May.

The level of distrust between members of the Wake County school board's Democratic majority and Superintendent Tony Tata during his final month on the job was high.

As noted in today's article, the release this week of more than 3,400 pages of emails from Aug. 1 through Sept. 25 showed repeated board allegations that staff was trying to undermine them. Democratic board members also tried to distance themselves from the bus problems and the complaints about the release of the draft student assignment plan.

“I hate to seem suspicious, but at this time I am left with little other than to conclude that some on staff are trying to undermine the Board by creating mass confusion in the community,” school board member Jim Martin wrote in a Sept. 22 reply to Ellen Nightingale on the draft plan. “This is unacceptable.”

The revolving door from the Wake County school system to the state Department of Transportation continues.

Mike Charbonneau, currently Wake's director of public affairs, will be leaving to become director of communications at DOT. The school system has hired Renee McCoy, a former WRAL news anchor and more recently chief spokeswoman for the state Department of Health and Human Resources, to replace Charbonneau.

Charbonneau is one of a growing number of Wake school employees who are rejoining Tony Tata, the former Wake superintendent and now state Transportation Secretary.

UPDATE

Ann Dishong is interim director of the DOT governance office. This makes at least five former Wake school employees who've joined Tata at DOT.

Cris Mulder is leaving her position as the Wake County school system's chief of family and community engagement.

State Transportation Secretary Tony Tata has hired Mulder to be the deputy secretary for internal and external affairs. Mulder will essentially do what she's been doing for Wake overseeing communications, marketing and community outreach.

Back when Tata was superintendent, he had hired Mulder in September 2011 as part of his revamping of the communications department. Tata renamed it the Office of Family and Community Engagement to highlight his emphasis on community outreach.

Members of the Great Schools in Wake Coalition and other supporters of the Democratic school board majority turned their attention Monday on the Republican majority on the Wake County Board of Commissioners.

During the public comment section, several speakers criticized the commissioners for asking for state legislation to take over ownership of schools, to be able to give money to help build charter schools and to change the way school board members are elected. It also came with a warning.

"I hope that the Wake County Commissioners don't want to radicalize lots of middle-class parents," said Robert Siegel. "But if you do start messing with our schools, we're going to respond the same way we responded to the extremist school board of 2009. I don't think you want Wake County to become a national disgrace again."

Does the recent report examining the Wake County school transportation department show that former Superintendent Tony Tata shouldn't be blamed for this school year's problems?

As noted in today's article, the school board is scheduled to vote today on a $2.25 million plan to reorganize the transportation department. Based on the staff presentation showing that the department's structure is outdated, Republican board members say Tata was made a scapegoat by his critics.

"Superintendent Tata was trying to clean up something that had been happening in years past," said board member Deborah Prickett. "He was trying to do his best to fix it. It's not his fault."

UPDATE

The school board unanimously approved the reorganization plan.

Former Wake County school board member Debra Goldman wants to be remembered for being thoughtful in all her decisions and for actions such as bringing Tony Tata to the area and helping "students be able to go to schools closer to where they live."

Goldman explained during a press conference today that she resigned Friday to become executive director of the Derie Cheek Reece Foundation , a Wilkes County-based non-profit that raises awareness of strokes and how to prevent them. Goldman was asked what she hoped would be the legacy that she'd leave behind on the board.

"I believe that my legacy will be what I've heard in these letters I've been getting, the phone calls, the emails, the Facebook messages (from supporters since the resignation)," Goldman said. "They all have been they felt I was a board member that really thought about every decision."