Some Wake County schools are seeing noticeable changes in their percentages of low-income students because of the student assignment changes adopted by the school board in February.

For instance, Davis Drive Elementary's percentage of students receiving federally subsidized lunches fell from 18.9 percent last year to 6.6 percenet this year. For Reedy Creek Elementary, it rose from 41.4 percent last year to 53.3 percent this year.

This came after the board moved what was projected to be 175 students from Davis Drive to to Reedy Creek, Combs and Smith elementary schools. The moves were supposed to to be proximity related so students would attend a closer school.

Wake County's two new single-gender leadership academies are undergoing some changes before they open the doors for the 2012-13 school year.

As noted in today's article by Thomas Goldsmith, Wake is now looking at partnering with Peace University to house both schools on their campus. The earlier plan was to have the male academy at the Longview School site and the female school at Raleigh Charter High's former space at Pilot Mill.

Wake will now only require that ninth-graders take Junior ROTC instead of having all grades in the program.

It's now in the hands of the Wake County Board of Commissioners to decide on reallocating unspent 2006 bond money to help fund the $130.3 million school construction program recently approved by the school board.

The commissioners are being asked today to approve in concept the plan that would fund projects such as a new high school in Apex, a new elementary school in Wake Forest, two single-sex leadership academies, the Hilburn K-8 conversion, off-campus ninth-grade centers for Panther Creek and Garner high schools and modulars at several other high schools.

Critics of the school board majority focused most of their complaints on the leadership academies, the Hilburn project and the Panther Creek ninth-grade center. In the case of Panther Creek, school officials say the ninth-grade center is needed to deal with crowding while critics complained a relatively new school was getting more money while older ones like Apex High were not.

Today's vote is for first reading only. The meeting starts at 2 p.m. in the  Wake County Courthouse, Room 700.

It's the self-described "principled principal" running against three challengers who all think they can do a better job of representing District 3 on the Wake County school board.

As noted in today's article, school board member Kevin Hill is emphasizing his education background in his re-election bid. With the departure of Carolyn Morrison in December, Hill says he would potentially be the only board member left with experience as a teacher and principal.

"As a Board of Education, it's important to have some perspectives from an educator with both my experience as a teacher and principal," Hill said.

The Great Schools in Wake Coalition is blasting the decision to convert Hilburn Elementary to a K-8 campus and the creation of two single-sex leadership school as "foreshadowing future chaos for Wake County residents."

In a press release today, GSIW says it's "deeply concerned over recent decisions by the Wake County Board of Education to use expensive and poorly analyzed reconfigurations of several school buildings as a means of repairing problems of its own making." It also says the decisions "highlight the Board’s willingness to rush important decisions without obtaining adequate input from the community or studying the facts."

The group blames the Hilburn decision on school board member Deborah Prickett's efforts to convert Leesville Road Middle back to a traditional calendar. GSIW questions the costs of the conversion, placing kindergartners and eighth-graders in the same building and whether enough families will choose the school.

Wake County Superintendent Tony Tata told school board members today he needs their commitment to implement a $130.3 million construction program that includes two single-gender schools, the K-8 Hilburn Elementary project, a career and technical education school and a science academy.

Tata said he's been talking with multiple groups on the various innovative projects. But he said he needs the board's support now to show others Wake is serious with implementation.

“We need to demonstrate the board’s commitment to those people we’re dealing with daily," Tata said.

UPDATE

Earlier, a motion was defeated 5-4 on party lines to have separate votes on the single-sex schools and the Hilburn Elementary conversion.

Just days before the Wake County school board is to vote on the plan, school officials announced today they will survey parents about expanding Hilburn Drive Elementary to offer middle school grades.

The school board will vote Tuesday on making Hilburn the first K-8 school in Wake in decades starting in 2012. The online survey starting Saturday will ask parents for their feelings about the plan, including what calendar they think Hilburn should use.

One option would have the entire Hilburn campus operate on a traditional calendar. The other options would have the elementary school students stay on the traditional calendar with the middle school students either operating on a single-track or multi-track year-round calendar.

The number of non-magnet school options has been expanding under Wake County Superintendent Tony Tata's watch.

As noted in today's article, Tata is now promoting a pair of single-gender leadership academies, a science academy and the Hilburn Elementary K-8 conversion. This along, with his STEM and Global Schools programs, have blurred the lines between magnet and non-magnet schools.

A big focus on Tuesday was the proposed creation of a leadership academy for male students and one for female students. School administrators touted their academic benefits.

SEE END OF POST FOR LINK TO HANDOUTS FROM THE PRESENTATION

The Cary era of the Wake County school board officially starts this afternoon with the first meeting at the Crossroads I Building.

The new board room and conference at 5625 Dillard Drive both hold more seats than the former digs at Wake Forest Road. But there are also sight-line issues so monitors have been placed around the board room for people who will have a hard time seeing the board table.

The work session agenda appears to be much meatier than the regular meeting agenda with topics such as student assignment, the Hilburn Elementary conversion, the new middle school math placement policy and school bus travel times.

SEE UPDATE ON HILBURN AND REJECTION OF THE LAND SALE AT END OF POST

Is a K-8 school conversion the answer to Hilburn Drive Elementary's underenrollment and the lack of capacity for northwest Raleigh middle schools?

As noted in today's article by Chelsea Kellner, Wake Count Superintendent Tony Tata will present a plan to the school board on Tuesday to convert Hilburn to a K-8 campus for the 2012-13 school year. It would be the first combined elementary and middle school in Wake since before the 1976 merger.

“This is an idea that would save money and be very value-added to this community,” Tata told Hilburn parents at a meeting at the school on Wednesday.

SEE UPDATE AT END OF POST