The Great Schools in Wake Coalition is accusing the Wake County school board's student assignment committee of engaging in "bullying" by floating the proposed reassignment of thousands of Southeast Raleigh students.

In a press release today, GSIW charges the proposed reassignment of more than 6,000 students, many from low-income families in Southeast Raleigh, is a case of targeting families who have little sway or influence over the board "under the guise" of proximity.

GSIW contends that, at least in the case of David Williams' proposed reassignment of students out of East Garner Middle that it will actually result in the Southeast Raleigh kids going to a more distant school.

While at least some of you guys were watching football on Sunday, leaders of the Great Schools in Wake Coalition and the group's supporters were holding a strategy session.

Late Sunday afternoon, GSIW held a cocktail party in Raleigh to thank people for their support and to talk about ideas for next steps. You needed an invitation to attend the party.

Considering the recent election results for county commissioners, the state of student assignment, questions about school funding and how school board elections are 11 months away, there's a lot to discuss.

Supporters of the old diversity policy are ramping up the message of "wait 'til next year" in the aftermath of last week's GOP election victory on the Wake County Board of Commissioners.

As noted in Thursday's American Independent article by Ned Barnett, diversity policy supporters say last week's election results shouldn't be seen as a referendum supporting community schools. Instead, they're pointing to the 2011 Wake County school board elections as the true test of public sentiment.

“I don’t think the voters went to the polls and voted the way they did because of what was going on with the school board,” said Karen Rindge, executive director of WakeUP Wake County, the parent group of the Great Schools in Wake Coalition. “But I think we’re going to see a change next year. That’s when we’re really going to see if the public agrees with this board of education.”

UPDATE

In today's article in the American Independent, newly elected Wake County Commissioner Phil Matthews is calling last week's election results a mandate for neighborhood schools.

Republican members of the Wake County school board are aglow about the GOP gaining a majority on the board of commissioners,

As noted in today's article, those school board members say the anticipate better relations with a Republican majority than a Democratic one on the commissioners. GOP school board members had been diplomatically saying before the election it didn't matter which party was in the majority on the board of commissioners.

"We have things we need to get done," said school board chairman Ron Margiotta. "We'll have a better chance of getting it done with people who are willing to listen to us instead of trying to punish us."

Republican members of the Wake County school board are calling the GOP sweep of the commissioners races a referendum showing support for pushing ahead with community schools.

As noted in today's article, GOP school board members say that people did respond to the calls from Democrats to turn it into a referendum on the school board's student assignment policy changes. The result, board members say, is a message that they've got the community's support for their actions.

“The people are saying, ‘Leave the school board alone; let them do what they were elected to do on student assignment,’” said school board member Chris Malone. “People want the school board to succeed and do their business.”

State education officials have announced today that new 2010 school report cards are online now.

The report cards allow you to look up a wide range of data on both individual schools and school districts. Among other things, you've got data on test scores, finances, crime and safety and teacher licensure and experience.

In recent years, the release of the report cards has also resulted in comparisons between the Wake County and Charlotte-Mecklenburg school systems.

The Great Schools in Wake Coalition is offering a second chance tonight for people who were unable to attend the recent "Costs & Consequences: What's at Stake for Wake" forum.

GSIW says its research team will present an abbreviated version of the recent forum from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at Glenaire Retirement Community, 4000 Glenaire Circle in Cary. It's free and open to the public.

You can expect more discussion comparing Wake with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg school system. The original 4+ hour forum on Oct. 16 can be viewed here on WRAL's site. Click here for a flier for tonight's event.

The Wake County school system isn't the only one who will soon be facing protests and civil disobedience from the state NAACP.

As noted in today's Charlotte Observer, the Rev. William Barber, president of the state NAACP, is calling for direct action to protest the proposed closure of several schools in minority neighborhoods in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg school system. CMS is considering closing eight schools to save money and boost student achievement.

In language similar to what he's used in Wake, Barber says Charlotte school leaders are promoting resegregation with the district's return to neighborhood schools and the closures.

Former Wake County school board member Tom Oxholm did his best Peter Finch impersonation in a speech on school funding during Saturday's Great Schools in Wake Coalition forum.

In a speech mixed with data and fiery words, Oxholm implied that members of the school board majority are demagogues who don't know what they're talking about financially. He also threw in a New Jersey dig and explained that the move to socioeconomic diversity he helped implement in 2000 was done for financial reasons because they didn't have enough money for academic programs.

"Our assignment decision was never designed to help any particular student," Oxholm said of the board's vote in 2000. "Test scores for any one individual were not taken into account because of their school assignment and we knew it wouldn't make them any better a student. We also knew it wouldn't make them any worse of a student."

It would seem that the odds are in favor of Wake County's next schools superintendent having education experience.

Groups such as the Great Schools in Wake Coalition, the Coalition of the Concerned Citizens for African America Children and Wake NCAE have complained that the school board majority opened up the search process to non-educators.

But George Conway, team leader from the search firm of Heidrick & Struggles, said after Thursday's superintendent search committee meeting that all 26 people ready to be interviewed and the 12 considering applying have education experience.