One thing that became clear on Tuesday is that Wake County families really like 8:30 a.m. start times, especially those whose kids go to elementary schools that start at 9:15 a.m.

As noted in today's article, the school board approved Tuesday this revised 2013-14 school bell schedules for each school. A common theme voiced by board members and the public is the concerns families have with continuing to start most elementary schools after 9 a.m.

Wake operates a two- and three-tier bus system in different parts of the district. This means the majority of buses run two or three routes in the morning and afternoon to save money.

More to come later, but the Wake County school board approved tonight the 2013-14 bell schedules.

The board approved a few changes from this document presented two weeks ago. The revised plan now means 17 schools are shifting for this fall, with six shifting by 30 or more minutes.

The new changes include starting Walnut Creek Elementary at 9:15 a.m., ending a program in which it operated 45 minutes longer than other elementary schools. The plan also starts the Wake Young Men's Leadership Academy and Wake Young Women's Leadership Academy.

The board also dropped a change to Baucom Elementary School.

UPDATE

Click here to view the 2013-14 bell schedules adopted by the school board.

Patience is a virtue that newcomers to Wake County need as they register their children for school this fall.

As noted in today's article, the implementation of the new choice-based student assignment plan changed the way registration takes place in the Wake County school system. In the past, newcomers could come any time of the year to register at their child's base school.

But since June, newcomers have had to go to Central Office in Cary. Parents are told to expect to spend at least two hours as they go through the process of waiting to register their children and then making the school selection.

UPDATE

Nichols went to Salem on Wednesday. The school notified her today that her son would get track 2, putting him a month behind his new classmates.

How about playing a game of where's Tata instead of where's Waldo?

As noted in today's article by Thomas Goldsmith, Wake County school board chairman Ron Margiotta is not releasing new Superintendent Anthony Tata's full schedule even though media outlets requested it under the public records law. Only bits and pieces are being provided.

What's not being provided is the names of the elected officials who Margiotta says will be meeting with Tata.

The issue of calendar conversions for the 2010-11 school year could be decided as soon as Tuesday.

As noted in today's article, members of the new Wake County school board majority say they plan to vote Tuesday after they get the recommendations from staff earlier in the day on which schools to convert. They're not planning to wait two more weeks until March 16 for the vote.

"If it's on the agenda, I'm ready to go," said school board member Chris Malone on the conversion of some year-round schools to a traditional calendar.

We now have a new principal at Baucom Elementary School in Apex.

The school board just appointed Tammy Jahad to be Baucom's new principal, starting Wednesday. She replaces Ve-Lecia Council, who left to run Sanford Creek Elementary School.

Jahad has worked in Wake since 1999 and been an assistant principal at Apex Middle School since 2006. She will receive a salary of $79,094.

UPDATE

Click here for Jahad's bio sheet.

We've got new principals tonight for Brier Creek and Sanford Creek elementary schools.

The school board announced that Ve-Lecia Council will take over at Sanford Creek Elementary in Rolesville. She replaces Jamee Lynch, who is now principal of the East Wake School of Integrated Technology.

Council has been principal of Baucom Elementary in Apex since 2005.

UPDATE

Bio sheets now at the end of the post. 

The numbers crunchers will be interested in the school-by-school look at the magnet/calendar applicants.

For instance, Brentwood Elementary School drew 261 applicants to the new engineering magnet theme that will start in August. There were questions how well it would draw in its first year.

"Brentwood did a fabulous job of going out there and selling the program," said Laura Evans, a senior director in Growth and Planning.

It got a bit heated yesterday when school board members questioned why some year-round schools are losing teaching positions this school year.

In particular, Ron Margiotta and Horace Tart wanted to know why Baucom Elementary School lost a popular teacher when declining enrollment caused a track to be collapsed. Baucom is one of several year-round schools that will lose teachers because their enrollment is turning out to be lower than planned.

"This shows a complete lack of respect for parents at mandatory year-round schools," Margiotta said of the Baucom situation.