It's not much of an understatement that the release of the round two results for the Wake County student assignment plan could have gone better.

As noted in today's article, the plan to get the results up by Thursday afternoon fell through. By the time it was finally up around 6:20 p.m., it was soon shut down for several hours because of glitches reported by parents.

The problems will likely give critics of the new choice plan more ammunition as they argue that it was rushed through without proper implementation.

Wake County school officials announced today that 14 magnet schools have received national awards.

Combs, Douglas, Joyner, Washington and Wiley elementary schools and Southeast Raleigh High School received the School of Excellence Award from Magnet Schools of America, a trade organization. Those six schools are now in the running to win the Simpson Distinguished Merit Award, which goes to the top magnet school in the nation.

In addition, Conn, Farmington Woods, Hunter, Millbrook and Underwood elementary schools; Carnage and Ligon middle schools and Millbrook High School received the School of Distinction award.

"We're proud of all of the schools that Magnet Schools of America recognized this year," said Wake Superintendent Tony Tata in a statement. "Our magnet schools are a thriving, dynamic part of our school system, and their success is due to the hard work of students, teachers, and our supportive community."

Wake County school leaders announced tonight the appointments and transfers of seven permanent and seven interim principals.

Scott Lyons was named principal of Enloe High in Raleigh with a salary of $99,666. He's been principal of Leesville Road High since 2009. He used to be an assistant principal at Enloe.

Christopher McCabe will be principal of Heritage Middle in Wake Forest with a salary of $93,303. He's been principal of North Forest Pines Drive Elementary since 2007.

SEE UPDATE AT END OF POST FOR BIO SHEETS

The Mordecai families who attend Conn Elementary as their base school got what they wanted at tonight's Wake County student assignment meeting at Broughton High School.

Superintendent Tony Tata told the parents that he had made the decision today to recommend that Conn's base students not be placed in the new feeder pathway that will send the school's magnet students to Southeast Raleigh High. Instead, the base students will keep the historic feeder pattern that will let them stay at Broughton.

Tata is doing the same thing for the Conn base students as what he decided to do Monday for their peers at several other magnet schools.

Since Monday, the feeder pattern for Broughton has been adjusted for it to now include base students from Conn, Joyner, Underwood and Wiley elementary schools. How this impacts Broughton remains to be seen.

Wake County school administrators are dialing back their recommendations to have K-12 magnet feeders as part of the new student assignment plan.

As noted in today's article, the revised draft feeder plan list posted on Monday includes a number of changes requested by parents. Those parents mounted aggressive campaigns to keep their existing feeder patterns as opposed to being put in new ones that would have them go to magnet secondary schools.

Some of the most vocal opposition came from families at Brooks, Douglas and Joyner elementary schools. They wanted to keep their historic feeder patterns that had them going to closer non-magnet secondary schools.

The meeting is still going on so I'll keep it short for now on tonight's 2011-12 Wake County student reassignment plan votes.

The board wound up voting individually on all 50 items in the plan after GOP vice chairwoman Debra Goldman backed the Democrats on not doing one vote. The board approved 47 of the 50 items, dropping 220 students from the plan to reduce it to around 3,500 students.

The board dropped plans to send 164 students to Carnage Middle. The board also dropped moving 56 kids from Lacy Elementary to Conn Elementary.

Goldman later joined the Democrats in killing Deborah Prickett's motion to direct staff to start a magnet program at York Elementary.

The forum Thursday at Lacy Elementary School's PTA meeting produced more than a few highlights.

You had, as previously noted, school board members Ron Margiotta and Deborah Prickett objecting to the use of student achievement in the Alves plan. You had a somewhat modified version of the presentation on the Alves plan from what was given last week to the Garner Chamber of Commerce.

You had Dana Cope questioning Tim Simmons about the Alves plan and objecting to board member Carolyn Morrison's vote this year against returning the Lacy nodes from Stough Elementary.

Gov. Beverly Pedue had her photo op today for the first day of traditional-calendar schools but it came with a lot of restrictions from the Wake school system.

Perdue's office invited the media to cover the governor's ride on the school bus this morning to Conn Elementary School and her tour of the campus. Conn was picked because it's the base school for the Executive Mansion.

Perdue got on the bus at Mordecai and Sycamore streets after talking with parents at the stop. But Wake told the governor's office that photographers could only briefly board the bus and photograph only the children at that stop whose parents were there to give permission.

It looks like Wake was trying to steer more people into eight magnet schools this year via the second-chance letters.

For those who might not recall, this year was the first time that people whose magnet applications were rejected were sent a letter giving them a second chance to apply to another school.

You only got the offer if staff thought your departure wouldn't have a negative impact on your base school.

Here's more detail on the 11 schools whose bell schedules could sharply change next year and those that are no longer being considered by the school board.

First, click here for the handout presented Tuesday on possible bell schedule changes. I'll walk you through the ones in play and those that are not.

The one most likely to be approved calls for moving East Wake High to the second tier. This would change the opening from 7:25 a.m. to 8:05 a.m.