Bob Geary is analyzing how partisan the Democratic candidates for Wake County school board should get in this fall's elections.

In an article in the latest issue of the liberal Independent weekly, Geary contends that the Democratic candidates "have little choice" but to turn to the Party for help to counter the Republican Party's efforts in the school board races. But he says it's also causing the Democratic candidates to tread a fine line.

"The Democratic candidates face the same critical question of style: Can a Democrat win with a message of nonpartisanship, the complexity of the issues and 'good governance?'" Geary writes. "Or is the case that in a low-turnout election like a school board race, you can't beat a hard-hitting Republican who turns out the GOP's base vote unless you're a hard-hitting Democrat who turns out the Democratic base vote?"

The campaigns for the Wake County school board races should heat up this week.

As noted in today's article, you've got two fairly significant events over the next five days. You'll have the release of updated campaign finance reports and the first of the five candidate forums sponsored by WakeUP Wake County and the League of Women Voters of Wake County.

All school board candidates who intend to raise more than $1,000 and any groups expecting to spend money on the school board races must file a 35-day pre-election report. This report, which must be postmarked no later than Tuesday, will show how much has been raised through Aug. 30.

UPDATE

Inserted the words pre-election to make the wording more clear.

There's no question this election cycle about conservative businessman Art Pope's direct financial involvement in the Wake County school board elections.

Campaign finance reports filed last week by school board candidate Donna Williams showed she had raised $22,456.33. That includes $4,000 from Pope, $4,000 from his wife and $4,000 from conservative businessman Bob Luddy.

Pope's role in the 2009 school board elections has been hotly debated. Pope has repeatedly pointed to how he only gave money to the Wake County Republican Party in 2009 and not to any individual school board candidates.

Wake County school board candidates Susan Evans and Christine Kushner have both released statements today trumpeting the endorsements they've received from Wake NCAE.

In Evans' press release, she says she's "proud to have earned the endorsement of the Wake NCAE, a group that truly has the best interests of students and teachers at heart." The group represents nearly 5,000 Wake school employees.

In Evans' press release, Wake NCAE Vice President Larry Nilles also takes a shot at the school board majority to explain the endorsement.

Wake County school board candidate Christine Kushner is walking on a tight rope promoting her endorsement from the Wake County Democratic Party while also saying she's for leaving partisan politics behind.

"While I fully recognize and support the need to leave partisan politics out of school board decision-making, I will carry with me the values of fairness and opportunity that are represented by the Democratic Party,” Kushner said in a press release Wednesday on the endorsement. “All children deserve a high quality public education in Wake County. Making sure that happens is the job of the Wake School Board.”

Kushner made sure to also mention in her press release that her campaign manager, Anne Sherron, is a "lifelong Republican."

Wake NCAE, which represents 5,000 Wake County's school employees, is citing school funding in announcing its reasons for its school board candidate endorsements.

In a press release today, Wake NCAE announced it was endorsing Kevin Hill in District 3, Keith Sutton in District 4, Jim Martin in District 5, Christine Kushner in District 6 and Susan Evans in District 8.

In the release, Wake NCAE faulted the current school board majority for not having backed a motion to ask county commissioners for enough funding "that could have prevented" cuts this year such as laying off custodians and cutting pay for teacher assistants.

Both political parties have now officially weighed in with their endorsements for this fall's Wake County school board and municipal elections.

As expected, the Wake County Democratic Party announced Tuesday that it was endorsing Kevin Hill in District 3, Keith Sutton in District 4, Jim Martin in District 5, Christine Kushner in District 6 and Susan Evans in District 8.

In the announcement, the Democrats accused the Republican school board majority of having "made a number of empty promises to voters (in 2009) that they have not met."

Wake County school board candidate Donna Williams probably isn't going to win over Enloe High School supporters based on her talk of spreading programs around.

Williams hit the local conservative radio talk show circuit this week starting as a guest co-host Tuesday on The Morning Show on WRDU. She touched on Enloe during an interview Wednesday on The Rick and Donna Martinez Show on WPTF, where she also said it's not a case of the school system needing more money to raise achievement.

"I believe we need a more fair and equitable balance in our schools," Williams said on WPTF. "I'll give you an example. Enloe High School right now has 142 magnet programs in that one school. And then we have a lot of schools in this county that have zero. I just think we need to take a look at that and if we balanced it out a lot better, it would then affect and help all of our children."

UPDATE I will now be back on Wednesday.

Wake County school board chairman Ron Margiotta is making it even more explicit that he will fight the achievement-choice schools that are a central part of the new choice-based student assignment plan.

As noted in today's article by Thomas Goldsmith, Margiotta called the use of achievement-choice schools a replacement for the old diversity policy that he fought to eliminate.

“What we are attempting to do is bring forth an assignment plan that's satisfactory to the community -- if it's not, I’m not going to support it,” Margiotta said. “I have a problem with setting aside any seats for achievement. It's substituting achievement for race, or economics.”

Mary Ann Weathers filed today to run for the District 6 seat on the Wake County school board.

I don't at the moment have much info on Weathers, aside from the fact that she's a registered Democrat. The now four-person race includes Republican Donna Williams and two other Democrats, Christine Kushner and George W. Morgan.

The filing period ends at noon.

SEE UPDATE AT ENO OF POST FOR INTERVIEW WITH WEATHERS