It's time today for the Wake County school board to go back to having nine members.

The school board will interview six applicants for the District 9 seat formerly held by Debra Goldman, A seventh applicant, William Ingerslew, has withdrawn his application, according to school board chairman Keith Sutton.

The remaining field consists of Nancy Caggia, Bill Fletcher, Linda Gunter, Anna Johnson, Lois Nixon and Jim Pomeranz.

I'm still waiting on the Wake County school system to officially announce who made the application deadline, but Linda Gunter says she filed today for the District 9 school board seat.

In this press release, Gunter says that she "has devoted her entire career to the advancement of North Carolina’s public school children." Gunter is a Democratic Party activist and a lobbyist for the N.C. Association of Educators who was a former state Senator and a Cary HIgh School teacher for 30 years.

“Education is my life and I have given everything I have to it as a teacher, a parent of two Wake County Public School graduates, a legislator, and in my professional life,” said Gunter in the press release. “I know what it is like to be a parent, and now grandparent, who wants the best education for my children. I also know what it is like to be a career teacher and to shoulder that awesome responsibility.”

In a blast from the past, Bill Fletcher is hoping to return to the Wake County school board by filling the vacant District 9 position.

Fletcher became the first, and at the moment still only, applicant on Friday for the Cary seat that Debra Goldman resigned from Feb. 1. Fletcher said in an interview Monday that he wants to bring his “institutional knowledge” to the at-times tumultuous school board and help build community support for public education

“I can’t do anything about what's in the past,” Fletcher said of the recent school board turmoil. “I can only contribute toward improving education for our kids and community.”

The 22 former Wake County school board members who gathered together today were officially diplomatic about the changes being made by the new board majority, but it was clear they were personally unhappy with what's happening.

The former members talked about wanting "to ensure an equal opportunity for a sound basic education for every child in Wake County Public Schools." It was clear from their two-page statement that they feel "equal opportunity" is based on keeping the school district's longstanding busing for diversity efforts.

"For over 30 years, the Wake County Public School System has been a model for school districts around the nation," according to the statement read at today's press conference. "Because research consistently shows that challenges to success for all students in high poverty and racially isolated schools are greater, we have worked hard to prevent the creation of such schools."

UPDATE

Click here for an article in the Independent that lists the statement read by the former school board members..

The TAP program could get a big boost now that the new school board majority is set to take over on Tuesday.

As noted in today's article, the new majority thinks TAP can help provide incentives for teachers to work at high-poverty schools, which would increase in some areas under neighborhood schools.

It's a shift from how TAP was viewed by the old board as a supplement to the diversity policy. Outgoing board members such as Patti Head had thought of using TAP in schools where the F&R percentages were high despite efforts to balance enrollment.

The outgoing school board members left without throwing any real verbal bombs today as they were showered with awards and praise.

The outgoing board members spent much of their final comments thanking their families and school administrators. They also stood behind the decisions they made.

"Parents haven’t really liked what was done," said school board vice chairman Horace Tart. "But we always did what we did with the children in mind. That was the big picture."

Today marks the end of an era on the school board.

This afternoon will be the final regular board meeting for Eleanor Goettee, Patti Head, Lori Millberg and Horace Tart. You can expect a lot of laudatory statements from groups such as the other board members, administrators and Wake NCAE.

What's the best way to help students at high-poverty schools?

There are two models Wake can use at its Title I schools, which receive federal funding because of their high percentage of low-income students. You can either target the resources specifically at failing students or you can work with the whole school.

Guess which one the school district is urging schools to follow?

Outgoing school board members Eleanor Goettee, Patti Head and Lori Millberg are backing candidates in at least some of this fall's races.

All three board members, whose terms will expire after November, are backing Horace Tart in the District 2 school board race. Tart is the lone incumbent seeking re-election this fall.

"He's brought great service to that district," Head said of Tart. "He's brought great common sense."

At her final regular meeting, school board members lavished Beverley Clark with praise.

While Clark will stay on through Aug. 14, Tuesday was her last regular meeting after 9 1/2 years on the board. One after another, board members and Supt. Del Burns praised Clark for her service.

"You have always sought consensus where possible, but you have also always held to your vision of what our schools and school system should aspire to become," said school board chairman Kevin Hill as he read from a letter written by the board members to Clark. "That clarity has benefitted our board, our schools, and our children well. It is a voice that will be missed."