The Wake County school system is now making a belated attempt to market the new Richland Creek Elementary School to families.

With the fate of the school's opening hanging on getting enough additional students to apply by June, an open house will be held Saturday at the DuBois Center modular campus site. Principal Tammie Sexton will talk with parents at 530 E. Perry Avenue in Wake Forest from 10 a.m. to noon.

Wake has also produced a YouTube video pitching Richland Creek with testimonials about how a modular school won't hurt students and could help.

A Douglas Elementary School teacher talks about how modulars makes no difference on learning. Two parents whose children were at DuBois when it was the modular campus for Forest Pines Elementary talk about the advantages of going to a small school and how families can help shape a new school's identity.

Wake County school officials announced today that 14 magnet schools have received national awards.

Combs, Douglas, Joyner, Washington and Wiley elementary schools and Southeast Raleigh High School received the School of Excellence Award from Magnet Schools of America, a trade organization. Those six schools are now in the running to win the Simpson Distinguished Merit Award, which goes to the top magnet school in the nation.

In addition, Conn, Farmington Woods, Hunter, Millbrook and Underwood elementary schools; Carnage and Ligon middle schools and Millbrook High School received the School of Distinction award.

"We're proud of all of the schools that Magnet Schools of America recognized this year," said Wake Superintendent Tony Tata in a statement. "Our magnet schools are a thriving, dynamic part of our school system, and their success is due to the hard work of students, teachers, and our supportive community."

Wake County school officials announced today that an additional meeting on the student assignment plan has been scheduled for Monday at Millbrook High School.

No reason was given for the Millbrook meeting. But the revised feeder patterns released on Monday made a pretty substantial change to Millbrook's feeder pattern.

Before Monday, staff had proposed that Douglas, Fox Road, Joyner, Millbrook and North Ridge elementary schools feed into Millbrook High.

But following parental complaints, the base students from Douglas and Joyner were dropped from the recommendation. Staff replaced them by adding Baileywick and Brassfield elementary schools to the feeder pattern.

Wake County school administrators are dialing back their recommendations to have K-12 magnet feeders as part of the new student assignment plan.

As noted in today's article, the revised draft feeder plan list posted on Monday includes a number of changes requested by parents. Those parents mounted aggressive campaigns to keep their existing feeder patterns as opposed to being put in new ones that would have them go to magnet secondary schools.

Some of the most vocal opposition came from families at Brooks, Douglas and Joyner elementary schools. They wanted to keep their historic feeder patterns that had them going to closer non-magnet secondary schools.

The trend of more Wake County families getting into magnet schools since the end of the old diversity policy is continuing.

School officials say 4,720 out of 8,476 applicants, or 55.7 percent, were accepted into magnet schools for the 2011-12 school year. Last year, 4,450 out of 8,732 applicants were accepted, or 51 percent.

A small part of this year's increase can be attributed to the opening of the new Wake NC State STEM Early College. But that's only 56 kids.

Next year's Wake County student reassignment plan is a work in progress with everything approved by the old school board under review with new suggestions coming in all the time.

During Tuesday's work session, Laura Evans, senior director of growth and planning, laid out to the board an explanation of the assignments being considered and the direction they're leaning toward. It will help to have your copy of the handout present.

The ensuing discussion showed how the thinking has changed to reflect the new student assignment policy. Multiple times, Evans talked about bringing students home, having them attend their neighborhood schools and moving the least number possible for stability.

The Great Schools in Wake Coalition is going to use the Charlotte-Mecklenburg school system as the boogeyman at today's Wake County school board meeting.

GSIW has asked Jim Henderlite, a member of the CMS Equity Committee and current board member of the Swann Fellowship to be one of today's speakers. Swann opposed ending busing for diversity in Charlotte.

Members of the old Wake school board had passed out Swann's reports about resegregation in Charlotte to justify keeping the diversity policy.

Wake now has one less kindergarten teacher on the payroll.

School officials say Anthony Tomlinson Jr. resigned today as a kindergarten teacher at Douglas Elementary School in North Raleigh. This comes after his guilty plea on Thursday to possession of marijuana of up to a half ounce.

Click here for the online story.

Sometimes you need to be suspicious when you're told that a teacher is out for "personal reasons."

As noted in a brief today, Anthony Tomlinson Jr., a kindergarten teacher at Douglas Elementary School in Raleigh, was suspended with pay because of criminal theft and drug charges. He was scheduled to appear in court today.

Tomlinson has been out of school since May 4, raising questions from parents. They say they were only told by school officials that Tomlinson was on leave for "personal reasons," with no mention of the criminal charges.

For those who are wondering, employees who are charged with crimes are usually suspended with pay pending resolution of the case. There is still the presumption of innocent until proven guilty.

UPDATE

Even though Tomlinson was arrested March 1, school officials say they weren't notified until April 14. District policy requires employees who are arrested to notify their supervisors as soon as possible.