Fifteen former Wake County school board members have signed a joint letter that supports the diversity policy and urges voters to pick school board candidates Lois Nixon, Rita Rakestraw, Karen Simon and Horace Tart.

In the letter, it argues that Wake has no "bad" schools and that the "opposite of diverse schools is unequal schools." It says that '"community schools' means that 'you' can't come into 'my' community.'"

The signers include recent former members such as Rosa Gill and Beverley Clark. But you also've got names such as Tom Oxholm, Carol Parker, Susan Parry, Wray Stephens and Judy Hoffman.

Sometimes a non-endorsement can be more telling than an actual endorsement

The Raleigh Regional Association of Realtors announced last week their endorsements for this fall's municipal elections. But the press release said that "after much consideration, the Board [of directors of the Realtors] decided not to endorse candidates for the Wake County School Board."

A scaled-back reception was held for Carolyn Morrison after she was sworn into office today as the newest Wake County school board member.

Today's fare of punch, nuts and small pastries cost $184, according to Greg Thomas, a school district spokesman. That compares to $487.50 that was spent last month at Keith Sutton's reception, where hot hors d'oeuvres were served.

Among the guests at today's reception were State Superintendent June Atkinson, Wake County Sheriff Donnie Harrison, Wake County Commissioners Stan Norwalk and Harold Webb and former school board member Beverley Clark.

You've got a member of a George Soros-backed group and a Carolina Hurricanes hockey player among the donors in the District 1 Wake school board race.

Rita Rakestraw's donors include Gene Guerrero, a senior policy analyst for the Open Society Institute, who gave $250. The institute's founder and president is liberal billionaire George Soros, who is not exactly a favorite of conservatives.

Chris Malone has got some star power, namely a $250 contribution from Rod Brind'Amour, the team captain for the Hurricanes. Brind'Amour's ex-wife lives just outside Wake Forest with their three young children.

UPDATE

The Board of Elections says Karen Simon doesn't have to file until Sept. 28 because she hasn't spent more than $3,000 yet.

The 30-day pre-election campaign finance reports for Wake school board candidates are trickling in.

Candidates who intend to spend more than $3,000 have to have their report postmarked by today. As of this morning, five reports were in at the Wake Board of Elections.

The most interesting reports tell who is backing incumbent Horace Tart and challenger Cathy Truitt in the District 2 race. John Tedesco's report hadn't been in as of this morning.

Longtime former Broughton High School Principal Diane Payne became the seventh and final applicant today hoping to replace Beverley Clark on the school board.

In her application, Payne stressed her lengthy career as an educator, including the nearly 13 years she spent as principal of Broughton High School in Raleigh until her retirement in 2005. Among the items in her application, she supports the Wednesday early dismissals and praises the diversity policy.

“If selected, I will bring both my varied background and my student-focused perspective to the Board and in so doing hope to do my part to achieve the Board’s [100 percent graduation] Goal,” Payne wrote in her application.

UPDATED JULIE NAU'S APPLICATION TO INCLUDE REFERENCES

Three more people filed today to fill Beverley Clark's vacant District 6 seat on the school board.

The latest hopefuls are Stacy A. Arch, a parent and volunteer; Christine C. Kushner, a freelance writer, parent and volunteer; and George W. Morgan Jr., a retired Wake educator.

Here's a quick rundown of the three new applicants. You can read the applications for the full details.

An out-of-work special education teacher wants to fill the Wake school board District 6 vacancy.

Etta Wilson filed her application today to seek the position created by Beverley Clark's resignation from the school board. Wilson was most recently a special education teacher at Southeast Raleigh High School until June.

Wilson said she had resigned her job there in hopes of working at an elementary school or a middle school but hasn't been picked up yet. She's like a lot of other teachers who are hoping to get hired after the 10th day of traditional-calendar schools.

SEE UPDATE AT END OF POST

Julie Nau, a retired teacher and the former head of the group representing Wake's school employees, has applied for Beverley Clark's vacant District 6 school board seat.

Nau filed her application earlier this week but it's incomplete and is missing some of the necessary paperwork. In what's in now, she stresses her years as a teacher, her experience at Wake NCAE and her community service.

Nau wrote that her three strategies for advancing the board's 100 percent graduation goal would be to promote success for all students, healthy schools and an involved citizenry.

A retired principal and educator has become the first person to officially apply for Beverley Clark's vacant District 6 school board seat.

Carolyn Bond Morrison submitted an application today that stressed her 45 years in education, including 34 years in the Wake school system. She was most recently director of Peace College's education division before she retired.

Morrison listed several things she'd want to support in order to promote high-achieving schools, including: