David Holdzkom is now Wake County's highest paid classroom teacher.

As noted in today's article, Superintendent Tony Tata involuntarily removed  Holdzkom last Friday from his position of assistant superintendent of evaluation and research. With no other senior position in store, Holdzkom said he asked to be sent back to the classroom.

Holdzkom was reassigned Wednesday to Millbrook High SChool to be an English  teacher, which he is licensed to do. He said he'll be teaching English IV and Shakespeare.

Michael Evans, the man who has been the public face of the Wake County school system for the last nine years, has resigned.

Evans, Wake's chief communications officer, resigned Friday and will be on paid leave through Sept. 16, according to Greg Thomas, a Wake schools' spokesman. No reason was given for the resignation. Evans could not be immediately reached for comment.

Evans, who was hired by the school system in August 2002, has a salary of $126,148.92. No decision has been announced yet on who will permanently replace Evans.

The Wake County school board announced tonight the hiring of two new senior  administrators and two new principals.

Sylvia Wilkins was named assistant superintendent of academics. The position used to be chief academic officer before it was downscaled after Donna Hargens left to become a superintendent in Kentucky.

Wilkins, who has been principal of Dillard Drive Elementary School since 2007, will report to the newly created but still unfilled position of deputy superintendent for school performance.

The Wake County school board may vote today on keeping tougher than state-mandated high school graduation requirements for the 2011-12 school year.

The board will vote on a recommendation from staff to continue requiring students to pass the Algebra I, Biology and English I state end-of-course exams to graduate from high school.

The board had taken a similar step in December following the staff recommendation to leave in place the requirement for the 2010-11 school year.

It may be possible for Wake County schools to get its state waiver without having to add in the 10 extra minutes each day into the 2011-12 school year.

The Wake school board voted tonight to tack 10 minutes to the end of the day for all schools as part of the waiver request to the State Baord of Education. But Chief Academic officer Donna Hargens said that they're hoping the State Board will say the extra time isn't need to get a waiver.

Wake isn't sure how the state Board will handle requests from districts who want waivers from the new requirement that the school year be extended by five days and that 25 more instructional hours be added as well.

Wake County will need a new chief academic officer to go along with the new position of deputy superintendent for school performance.

The Jeferson County school board unanimously voted today to hire Donna Hargens, Wake's chief academic officer, to be the new superintendent starting Aug. 1. Click here for the Louisville Courier-Journal article about the hiring.

Here's the statement that Hargens gave to the Courier-Journal:

Wake County Schools Chief Academic Officer Donna Hargens is sticking by her position that decisions about using diversity in student assignment are a school board issue.

As noted in an article that will appear in Thursday's Louisville Courier-Journal, Hargens said that decisions about using a diversity-based assignment policy are “public value choices” best left to “the board's governance role.” It's the same stance she took as Wake's interim superintendent.

“She's like Switzerland — she's neutral,” said former Wake County PTA Council President Liza Weidle in the article. “But she's had an incredible impact.”

UPDATE

The Courier-Journal is reporting online today that the Louisville chapter of the NAACP is calling on the Jefferson County school board to reopen the superintendent search. The NAACP says they're not satisfied with the responses from both finalists about desegregation issues.

Wake County Superintendent Tony Tata proposed today creating a new position responsible for overseeing student performance and putting student assignment under the control of a new office.

Tata’s call for a shakeup of his senior leadership team came after the presentation of a consultant’s report that found that Wake’s administrative structure was lean but needs more focus placed on improving student academic performance.

“(Superintendent Tony Tata) needs to have one person identified as the go to person in student performance,” said Robert Schiller, the head of the audit team.

Wake County Chief Academic Officer Donna Hargens says her desire to become superintendent in Jefferson County shouldn't be viewed as her being dissatisfied with the situation here.

As noted in today's article, Hargens said her career goal is to become a superintendent. She added she was happy with the what's been happening under Tony Tata's tenure as superintendent.

"Mr. Tata has done a  fabulous job and Wake County is moving in a fabulous direction," Hargens said.

Donna Hargens, the Wake County school system’s chief academic officer, has been named a finalist for superintendent of Jefferson County Schools in Kentucky, according to published reports.

The Louisville Courier-Journal is reporting that Hargens and Christine Johns-Haines of Michigan were announced today as the two finalists to lead Jefferson County schools, which includes Louisville.

Hargens served as Wake’s interim superintendent from March 2010 through this January after Del Burns resigned and before Tony Tata was hired. Tata, who started in Wake on Jan. 31, said his first action as superintendent was to ask Hargens to stay on as chief academic officer.

UPDATE

Click here for the Jefferson County press release.