In what's become a perennial issue on school bond issues, Wake County commissioners have questions about why school renovation projects cost so much money.

During last week's joint meeting, Joe Bryan, chairman of the board of commissioners, asked why this school district needs list. includes an $82.4 million renovation for Fuquay-Varina High School. He also asked why they're proposing more renovations for Cary High School at $37.6 million and at Enloe High School for $30.9 million.

Bryan noted that the proposed cost for Fuquay-Varina's renovation is more than the cost for building Rolesville High and the new West Apex High.

UPDATE

I've corrected the link in the post to view the presentation from school staff on the district's facility needs.

It's safe to say that you're not going to see a $2.2 billion Wake County school construction bond referendum on the fall ballot.

School administrators laid out today their construction needs through 2018, which would mean $2.2 billion with most going toward building 32 new schools and 28 major renovation projects. According to the county, that's the equivalent of a 14.68 cent property tax increase, or about $375 more a your on a $250,000 home.

Everybody from school staff to school board members to county commissioners was quick to say that they're not planning on that big a bond.

The Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce's proposal for resolving the fight over school ownership and school board elections appeared to fizzle Wednesday.

As noted in today's article, Joe Bryan, chairman of the Wake County Board of Commissioners, said no Wednesday to the chamber's proposal that both boards work out agreements before the pending state legislation passes.

“It’s a little late in the day for the Chamber and they’re not presenting much,” Bryan said.

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.

Is Senate Bill 325 essentially a second try for Republicans to hold a majority on the Wake County school board?

As noted in today's article, the stated main purpose of the new legislation is to give individual Wake County voters the ability to elect a second school board member. But the bill also lets state Republican lawmakers rewrite the boundaries for Wake's school board districts.

This comes after the redistricting plan approved by the former Republican school board majority in 2011 didn't turn out as some thought that it would in ensuring GOP control of the state's largest school district.

Is S325 the final version of what will be passed legislatively for changes in Wake County school board elections?

As noted in today's article, the bill would only let voters pick two of nine board seats instead of the five out of nine requested by Wake County Commissioners. Voters would pick the one for their district and in the half-county district they'd now also be located in.

But the bill, which was filed Wednesday on the last day for local bills in the Senate, could be revised before things are done.

UPDATE

Census records show that the bill would put John Tedesco in the same district as Tom Benton and Kevin Hill. This means District 1 would include parts of Garner, Zebulon and the watershed area in Northeast Wake

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 Wake County school system is looking for public feedback on the proposed bell schedule changes for the 2013-14 school year.

Parent can go here to view the proposal and here to provide online feedback. The school board wants feedback before the March 19 vote.

During Tuesday's school board meeting, Bob Snidemiller, senior director of transportation, said they left 91 percent of schools unchanged to provide consistency. He said they're proposing changes at 15 schools to promote transportation efficiency.

Wake County school board chairman Keith Sutton will seek a leadership role on the National School Boards Association's Council of Urban Boards of Education (CUBE).

Sutton told his colleagues at the Feb. 19 board work session that he's been asked to seek a seat on CUBE's national steering committee. He asked if he had the board's blessing. No one objected.

CUBE gave the school system an award for its former socioeconomic diversity policy in 2009. CUBE represents more than 100 urban school districts in 35 states, Ontario and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Wake County school administrators say they're trying to address concerns of Brier Creek Elementary School parents who are worried about being forced to change year-round tracks or have children on different tracks.

Brier Creek's PTA has set up this online petition asking the school board to waive policy to reduce the minimum class sizes in fourth- and fifth-grades. The petition says that the school can't fund a 4th-grade teacher for the rising 3rd grade class on a given track, resulting in a track change or siblings on different tracks.

School administrators said last week that they're working on addressing the issue in the upcoming budget that will be presented March 5. They also say that the Brier Creek petition contains some errors.