Wake County school board chairman Ron Margiotta and Susan Evans are both pulling in substantial amounts of cash in the District 8 race, including money from the Popes, Bob Luddy and the Campbells.

The new campaign report filed today by Margiotta shows he had raised $40,367.33 as of Aug. 30 with $34,111.23 on hand. The new report for Evans shows she had raised $26,406.43 as of Aug. 30 with $21,405.30 on hand.

The biggest donors for Margiotta in his new report are the $4,000 apiece from conservative businessman Art Pope, his wife Katherine Pope and conservative businessman Bob Luddy.

The District 6 race for the Wake County school board is looking like it could be the most expensive of all the races this fall.

The new campaign report filed today by Christine Kushner shows she has raised $41,565.83 as of Aug. 30 with $33,256.54. The new report filed today by Donna Williams shows she has raised $27,806.83 as of Aug. 30 with $22,634.43 on hand.

The biggest donor in Kushners' new report is the Democratic Women of Wake County, which gave $1,100. She also received small donations from former school board members John Gilbert, Lori Millberg, Tom Oxholm and Susan Parry.

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.

Will the reassignment of the Garner High and Stough Elementary students be the Achilles heel for the Wake County school board majority's move to community-based schools?

As noted in today's article, the federal civil rights complaint filed by the NAACP focuses on the Garner and Stough moves to accuse the school board majority of engaging in racial discrimination. The contention is that these moves were racially based as part of an act of "intentional discrimination."

"The Board was implementing the will of a well-organized and vocal set of parents who want to live in racially-isolated neighborhoods and send their children to racially-isolated schools," according to the complaint.

The Wake County school board majority is getting some online love to counter opposition from backers of the old diversity policy.

Local conservative activist Judy Keener started Monday an online "petition of appreciation" for the school board that thanks them for putting up with "relentless and unfair attacks & pressure." Among other things, the petition thanks the board for "keeping your word," "providing ALL FAMILIES choice in education,” "recognizing the importance of FAMILIES” and "willingness to abandon failed policies and practices.”

"Please keep up the good work," according to the petition. "Do not get discouraged. Remember that we support you and are deeply grateful."

CORRECTION

The petition website originally mistakenly listed the Wake County Taxpayers Association as being the creator. It was created by Judy Keener. The WCTA is only encouraging people to sign the petition.

The executive director of one of the state's largest employee groups says his organization supports the personnel law reforms as introduced in a Senate bill this week.

The omnibus ethics bill introduced by Senate leaders would make salary and employment histories public for most state and local employees. North Carolina appears to be the only state that limits public personnel information to an employee's current salary or position.

Dana Cope, executive director for the State Employees Association of North Carolina, had said in our recent series about the personnel law, Keeping Secrets, that he saw little issue with making that information public. So, it was not a surprise that he raised no objections when the bill was rolled out in a judiciary committee meeting Tuesday.

"I was surprised, frankly, that the law prohibited that information anyway," Cope said today.

Cope said he would have a problem if the legislation also opened up the release of information related to disciplinary actions. He said too many employees suffer discipline for political reasons, and that pain shouldn't be compounded by making the details public.

On the other hand, he said employees convicted of criminal misconduct should not enjoy such protections.

"In criminal activity, we support the opening of those records," he said.

Gov. Bev Perdue has submitted language that would make public personnel records related to criminal behavior, but that proposal did not make the Senate bill. Senate Minority Leader Phil Berger, meanwhile, is pushing to make the details of disciplinary actions public.

The Senate bill had been slated for a vote on the Senate floor only to be pulled back over concerns in an unrelated provision that would provide public financing for several statewide campaigns. It is back before the Senate judiciary committee for more discussion.

Members of the new Wake County school board majority put their stamp today on the state legislative lobbying agenda.

The board amended the agenda, which includes the items that Wake wants the General Assembly to approve, to say that the district opposes giving taxing authority to local school boards. Previous school boards have lobbied to get taxing authority from the state.

New school board member John Tedesco said he likes having the checks of balances of relying on the county, state and federal governments for funding.

Is today's vote on returning the Lacy to Stough nodes a case of political payback or a righting of a wrong by the old Wake County school board?

As noted in today's article, families in the three Lacy Elementary nodes worked hard to back members of the new school board majority who are poised to reverse the assignment today.

Residents in the three nodes gave more than $2,600 in last fall's campaign to either the candidates directly, the Wake Schools Community Alliance or the Wake County Republican Party.

A national labor union has stepped into the Wake County school board elections to endorse candidates and fling barbs at SEANC head Dana Cope.

UNITE HERE, which represents hospitality and textile workers, issued a press release today endorsing Rita Rakestraw in District 1 and Karen Simon in District 7 for their support of Wake's school diversity policy.

UNITE HERE said it felt "morally obligated to get involved" because Cope, executive director of the State Employees Association of N.C., and Ardis Watkins, legislative director of SEANC, had formed the Children's PAC to back candidates who support neighborhood schools. They said Cope and Watkins "have done their union and the union movement a real disservice."

UPDATED WITH COPE'S RESPONSE AT END OF POST 

You can soon say goodbye to the Children's PAC.

Leaders of the group have notified the Wake County Board of Elections that they're shutting down the PAC. Dana Cope, who founded the group following this year's contentious student reassignment fight, says they've decided to work with the Wake Schools Community Alliance.

Cope, who is also executive director of the State Employees Association of N.C., says they'll officially announce next week that they're endorsing the same school board candidates as the WSCA. He said individual members of the soon-to-be-former PAC have been and will continue to raise money for candidates.