Walnut Creek Elementary School is still going to be crowded even with the enrollment cap approved for the rest of the school year.

As noted in today's article, the Wake County school board unanimously adopted a cap to send new students to Creech Road Elementary. The cap will stay in place for the rest of the school year unless Walnut Creek's enrollment, now at 929 students, drops below 862 students.

"Walnut Creek is hemorrhaging and we needed to stop the bleeding," said school board member Keith Sutton, who had requested the cap. "We did that with the cap."

More to come later but the Wake County school board tabled the adoption of the math placement policy and approved the cap on Walnut Creek Elementary School.

Republican board member Deborah Prickett joined the four Democrats in voting the table the vote on the math policy on a 5-3 vote. Staff said they were uncertain how the new core curriculum standards would impact the math policy.

The vote on the cap was unanimous. New students who move into Walnut Creek's base will be sent to Creech Road Elementary until the school's enrollment drops below 862 students. It's now at 929 students.

UPDATE

During the discussion, Ruth Steidinger, senior director for middle school programs, said the R&P for the math policy would have to be revised because of the new core curriculum standards. One question was whether EVAAS would even still be used under the common core.

Democratic board member Keith Sutton said it would be irresponsible to adopt the policy when the R&P will have to be revised. After the meeting, Prickett said she voted to table the policy because of the concerns about how it would be impacted by the common core.

Assuming the questions are answered, it will be up to the new Democratic majority to decide whether to proceed with the policy. It's worth noting that the crowd, which included the new members and their supporters, applauded when the motion to table the policy passed.

Will the disparity between what rich and poor schools get in private dollars increase under the new choice-based student assignment plan being developed for Wake County?

As noted in Sunday's article by Thomas Goldsmith and David Raynor, Wake County schools receive more than $21 million each year in private revenue. Schools like Lacy Elementary raise around $100,000 a year from a non-profit foundation while Creech Road Elementary got $12,738 last year in various private donations.

"It is an equity issue that is hard to address because it's private money," said school board member Keith Sutton.

The Wake County school system will need a new person to help the school board decide on the future of the magnet school program.

David Ansbacher, senior director of magnet school programs, will be leaving to become a principal in Singapore. Since March, he has been a member of the student assignment task force.

Ansbacher's successor will have a myriad of issues to deal with, including recommending which three schools get magnet programs for the 2012-13 school year.

The Wake County school board appointed four principals today.

Keith Richardson was chosen to lead York Elementary School in North Raleigh. He has been an assistant principal at Sycamore Creek Elementary since 2009 and will receive a salary of $64,560.

Cheryl Stidham will run Stough Elementary School in North Raleigh. Stidham has been an elementary school principal in Ohio since 2006 and will receive a salary of $77,512.

SEE END OF POST FOR BIO SHEETS

The Wake County school board announced tonight they had replaced three principals who are part of a new program to help struggling schools and had also chosen a new leader for Southeast Raleigh High.

New principals were chosen for Barwell Road, Brentwood and Wilburn elementary schools while the principal of Creech Road Elementary was allowed to keep her job. They’re all part of the Renaissance Schools program, a new effort targeting additional resources at Wake’s four lowest-performing elementary schools.

The principals and teachers at the four Renaissance schools had to reapply if they wanted to keep their jobs, which comes with a hiring bonus and merit pay. Those who aren’t hired back or don’t want to stay are transferred to other schools.

SEE END OF POST FOR BIO SHEETS FOR THE PRINCIPALS

Here's some more details about the Renaissance Model being used to turn around the Wake County school system's four lowest performing elementary schools.

The quick description is that additional resources, including new technology, signing bonuses and performance bonuses, will be used at Barwell Road, Brentwood, Creech Road and Wilburn elementary schools. All four schools happen to have high poverty levels but they were chosen because their passing rates were below 60 percent on state exams last year.

The issue has gotten more attention this week because the school board voted Tuesday on a $950,000 a year bonus plan for the schools using federal Race to the Top money.

The 2011-12 Wake County student reassignment plan is now officially in the books.

The school board agreed today to reassign 136 additional students. When combined with the 3,500 moved on Feb. 1, you've got more than 3,600 kids on the move for this fall.

Among the moves approved today was to send 15 students from school board member John Tedesco's neighborhood from Creech Road Elementary to Aversboro Elementary.

Today's Wake County school board meeting will be long and touch on a variety of topics, including reassignment, bonuses to work at high-poverty schools, redistricting, bell schedules and the magnet review.

The school board will vote today on the last three potential changes to the 2011-12 student reassignment plan, including moving school board member John Tedesco's neighborhood from Creech Road Elementary to Aversboro Elementary. The plan calls for splitting off the part of the node that includes his subdivision to go to Aversboro.

Also as noted in today's article by Thomas Goldsmith, the board will vote on setting aside $950,000 in Race to the Top grant money to provide signing bonuses and merit pay to teachers who will work at the four Renaissance schools: Barwell Road, Brentwood Road, Creech Road and Wilburn elementary schools.

New Wake County Superintendent Tony Tata got a first-hand look Tuesday at what school board meetings will be like, from emotional public speakers to bickering by board members.

Most of the 39 speakers who signed up railed against the school board over the student reassignment plan and the elimination of the use of socioeconomic diversity. Some speakers got even more personal, particularly  directing their attacks at school board member John Tedesco.

Several speakers welcomed Tata. But Tata was also warned by speakers to restore diversity or else he and the school district would face dire consequences.