Wake is continuing to lower its projected enrollment for the upcoming school year.

Wake's latest projection for the 2009-10 school year calls for 139,726 students, an increase of 2,020 kids from this past school year. This compares to a June projection of 139,951 students and 140,012 students in February.

While the recession bears part of the blame for Wake' relatively small growth rate this year, school officials have said the major reason is the new state law requiring kids to turn 5 by Aug. 31 to enter kindergarten. Growth is projected to go to above 4,000 students in 2010-11.

The school board's discussion of funding Leesville Road Middle School's conversion to year-round saw some sharp words thrown out.

Beverley Clark kicked things off Tuesday by saying they need to base this year's budget on the immediate situation facing Wake. She said the growth now facing Wake doesn't demand converting LRMS, especially when several year-round middle schools are under capacity.

Clark said it especially makes sense to delay conversion because the state Supreme Court hasn't ruled yet on the year-round case. She expects consent forms will have to go out.

It's looking like the school system will no longer have to account for how it spends county money by "purpose and function."

As noted in today's article by Michael Biesecker, all four Democratic commissioners say they're willing to repeal the new requirement that the school board can't deviate from its approved budget in several board areas by more than 15 percent without getting their approval.

"We're trying to micromanage another elected body," said Lindy Brown, vice chairwoman of the board of commissioners, in today's article.

Click here for the items that the school board slashed from the budget on Tuesday to make up for the loss of $11.2 million in county and state funding.

The biggest reduction is the $3.2 million in savings from student enrollment coming in lower than expected. A lot of it consists of money for positions that were never filled at schools because the kids didn't come.

(This amount doesn't include the $3 million that county commissioners withheld to see if enrollment would meet projections. Since the bodies fell short, that money was never turned over.)