It looks like you're out of luck if you were hoping that the new Wake County school board majority would quickly blow up the diversity policy.

As noted in today's article, it's still the intention of the new majority to change the student assignment policy to move toward neighborhood schools/community schools. But Debra Goldman, chairwoman of the policy committee, said it's going to be a process that will take several meetings to produce changes in Policy 6200.

"This is the beginning of the discussion,” Goldman said at Wednesday's policy committee meeting. “This is not a discussion that’s going to be wrapped up in one or two meetings.”

Here's a very quick recap of today's Wake County school board policy committee discussion on changing the student assignment policy.

Debra Goldman, chairwoman of the committee, asked the members present to lay out what they considered to be the keys to student assignment. A big gap was apparent between new and old board members.

All the board members agreed that academic success for students is important. But they differed on what role socioeconomic diversity plays in it all.

UPDATED POST WITH MORE DETAILS ABOUT TODAY'S DISCUSSION 

There's a healthy dose of skepticism among members of the Wake County school board majority to the idea that abandoning Forest Ridge High would cost $15.5 million.

As noted in today's article, administrators said switching sites now would push the opening back form 2012 to 2014. This two-year delay would lead to $10 million in classroom trailer costs, $4 million in inflated construction costs and $1.5 million in redesign work.

Unlike the old board, new board members are taking the staff info with more reservations.

The road toward the potential elimination of Wake County's school diversity policy will get going on Wednesday.

On Wednesday, the current student ssignment policy will be the topic of discussion of the first meeting of the new school board policy committee. The policy committee was given the charge of reviewing the proposed changes to the assignment policy that would eliminate all references to diversity in focusing on neighborhood schools.

But before the policy can be changed, the board members will receive an overview of the current Policy 6200 "in order for Board members to begin identifying possible changes," according to the meeting agenda.

The money was flying in last fall's historic Wake County school board elections.

As noted in today's article, campaign finance reports showed that more than $340,000 in hard and soft money was spent during the school board campaign. Conservative businessmen Bob Luddy and Art Pope were easily the biggest contributors, providing $38,000 that either went directly to candidates or to the Wake County Republican Party's campaign efforts.

Critics of the new board are saying it confirms their fears that those who are hostile to public education are behind the new board majority. Luddy said it's "laughable" to say he's directing the board while Pope said it's ridiculous for the other side to make him a "right wing boogeyman."

Will the uncertainty about the future of Wake County's magnet school program affect the number of applications this year?

The online application period for magnet schools and calendar schools began today and runs through Feb. 28. The magnet program is in a state of flux as some of the new school board majority wants to revamp things, spreading magnets around the county.

School board member John Tedesco has talked about phasing in the changes over a three-year period beginning in 2011-12. But will that make some families reluctant to apply for the 2010-11 school year?

The Rev. William Barber, head of the state NAACP, wants to know how Wake County school board chairman Ron Margiotta decided to reject the group's request for a 45-minute presentation at a board meeting.

In a letter sent Thursday to Margiotta, Barber makes a Public Records Act request for records showing how the decision was made to reject the 45-minute presentation and make the counteroffer of a private meeting with the school board leadership.

Barber says he needs the information so that he can present Margiotta's offer at the Feb. 13 “Historic Thousands on Jones Street” or “HK on J” rally. He's looking to get the info back by Feb. 10.

The future of the magnet school program could be the main holdup for implementing a new community-based/neighborhood school assignment plan.

As noted in today's article, Wake County school board member John Tedesco is the pointman for developing a new assignment plan over the next year that would divide the county into different assignment zones. Each zone would have magnet schools, year-round schools and traditional-calendar schools.

Fellow new board member Debra Goldman said she supports going to community-based schools. But she's concerned about Tedesco's potential overhaul of the magnet program.

History will record that it was largely the Wake County school board members who support socioeconomic diversity who passed the resolution that took the first swipe at the diversity policy.

Four board members strongly back the current diversity policy. Yet they provided four of the five votes on the calendar choice resolution on Tuesday that eliminates the use of socioeconomic diversity in filling year-round application seats.

The irony was not lost on school board member John Tedesco, a critic of the diversity policy.

There's dissension in the ranks of the new Wake County school board majority that could have consequences on how quickly changes are made.

As noted in today's article, school board chairman Ron Margiotta said he was very disappointed that vice chairwoman Debra Goldman had split with the majority on Tuesday to back revised wording that doesn't completely ban mandatory year-round assignments.

"I was very disappointed with her position on that issue," Margiotta said in today's article. "That was a campaign issue. When you make a commitment to the voters and to your fellow candidates, you're supposed to keep that."