What impact will the community-based school assignment plan have on Wake County real estate and property taxes?

The "Cost of Schools Plan" is the title of the discussion forum that will be held Tuesday from 6-8:15 p.m. at the Hot Point Cafe at North Hills in Raleigh. Some of the names of the speakers should be familiar.

Speakers include Knightdale Mayor Russell Killen, who spoke at the Friends of Diversity press conference, and Wake Education Partnership VP Tim Simmons. His boss, Ann Denliger, also attended the Friends of Diversity event.

Look for another "editorial message" on school diversity to appear on WRAL soon.

As noted in today's article, Capitol Broadcasting began airing a television spot on Wednesday featuring high school students that touts why diversity matters in the Wake County school system. Jim Goodmon, the company's CEO, said soon will come a second spot with teachers discussing the value of diversity.

Despite the timing, Goodmon said he's not using the TV spots, called editorial messages, to lobby for keeping the current diversity policy. He said they're just a statement on the principle of diversity.

Capitol Broadcasting has hit the airwaves with an ad campaign touting the value of diversity in the Wake County school system.

The television ad, featuring several Wake students, touts why "diversity matters." It's the latest and most direct effort by Capitol Broadcasting CEO Jim Goodmon to influence the ongoing debate about the diversity policy in the Wake school system.

Capital Broadcasting owns several media outlets, including WRAL.

UPDATE

Click here for the online story.

If actions have consequences, the consequences for speaking out in favor of the diversity policy could be costly for one local law firm.

It didn't escape the attention of the new school board majority that prominent local attorney Wade Smith was one of the speakers at the Oct. 5 Friends of Diversity press conference. Smith had helped push the 1976 merger through when he was in the General Assembly.

One potential response by the new board majority is to drop the firm that Smith helped found, Tharrington Smith, as the school district's attorney.

UPDATE

Ann Majestic says Smith never agreed to attend the Friends of Diversity press conference and did not attend. His name was on the list of speakers put out by the event's organizer, Keith Sutton.

Smith had talked about the importance of the diversity policy in an article that ran the Sunday before the election.

The "Friends of Diversity" are not going away.

A day after organizing Monday's pro-diversity policy press conference, the group is inviting the media to join tonight in watching the school board election returns.

Here's the group's press release: