The leadership of the Wake County school board may have changed, but staff is still advocating changes that would eliminate classroom behavior from academic grades.

As noted in today's article, staff came back with the same recommended changes that stalled before the prior board in August. Staff is seeking the new school board's approval to go ahead with this revised grading policy and new R&P.

During Thursday's student achievement committee meeting, board member John Tedesco was the main proponent of the changes. Board member Jim Martin was the main critic.

Barring some last-minute changes, Wake County school board members Debra Goldman and John Tedesco are still in the running for statewide higher office.

With 79 of 100 counties reporting, Goldman is in first for the Republican nomination for state auditor with 34.32 percent of the vote. Unless she gets 40 percent, she'll head into a runoff election.

Also with 79 of 100 counties reporting, Tedesco is leading for the Republican nomination for state schools superintendent with 28.38 percent of the vote, He's also apparently heading into a runoff.

Whether the runoff is in June or July depends on if there's a runoff for U.S. House seats.

Their fellow Republican school board member Chris Malone won his primary for the state House 35 seat.

It looks like Wake County school board member Chris Malone will be the Republican nominee for the state House 35 seat.

With 15 of the 18 precincts reporting, Malone has 56 percent of the vote while Duane Cutlip has 44 percent. Malone is headed toward a November battle against former school board member Lori Millberg, who is the Democratic nominee for the seat.

It looks like Cutlip's attacks on Malone for voting for the school budget didn't work.

It's too soon to report anything on the statewide races for Debra Goldman and John Tedesco.

UPDATE

With all 18 precincts reporting, Malone has 56.82 percent of the vote.

Today's primary election results could have major implications for the future of the Wake County school system.

The latest survey from Public Policy Polling, the firm run by Democratic activist Dean Debnam, indicates that school board members Debra Goldman and John Tedesco will likely enter into runoffs next month. They're running, respectively, for the Republican nominations for state auditor and state schools superintendent.

It's more clear-cut for school board member Chris Malone, who is competing in a two-person race for the GOP nomination for the state House 35 seat. Malone will either win today and face former school board member Lori Millberg, the Democratic nominee, in November or his campaign is over.

On the Wake County Board of Commissioners, polling indicates that Tony Gurley faces a tough battle to make the GOP runoff for lieutenant governor. Paul Coble is running for the GOP nomination for the 13th Congressional District. Erv Portman has no Democratic primary opposition so he's gearing up for the November battle for the state Senate 17 seat.

Should the Wake County school system guarantee bus service to all students who choose to stay on their current feeder pattern?

It's an issue in the new student assignment that the school board has been wrestling with for the past several months. The discussion got personal at times last week with board member Jim Martin, the most outspoken proponent of providing the bus service, taking shots from board members Debra Goldman and Deborah Prickett.

For now, staff is continuing to review what bus service can be provided.

SEE UPDATE AT END OF POST

The future of the Wake County school board's economically disadvantaged student performance task force will be up for discussion today.

The task force has been placed under the board's student achievement committee. The move had been opposed by task force chairman John Tedesco but approved by the new board majority.

The task force will discuss today the work accomplished, the work to be done, the role of sub-committees, interaction with other institutional committees, pros and cons of the task force format, relationship to the Board and the Student Achievement Committee and next steps.

Today's meeting will run from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. at Banks Road Elementary School, 100225 Chambers Road in Raleigh.

Wake County school board member Chris Malone is facing a new political attack over how winning a state House seat would result in the Democratic school board majority filling his vacancy.

In a newspaper ad running this week, Duane Cutlip is blaring the message "Malone to give school board seat to Democrat." Cutlip, who is competing against Malone for the Republican nomination for the state House 35 seat, says "you can have a conservative Republican in the House without giving up a School Board seat to get him!"

"I'm grateful to have Chris on the School board and fully support him finishing his term so we can keep a conservative voice there and pick up a conservative seat in the Legislature!" Cutlip says in the ad.

If Malone, Debra Goldman or John Tedesco win this November in their bid for higher office, they'd have to resign from the school board. The remaining school board members would fill any vacancies through the end of the terms in 2013.

The Wake County school board came very close on Tuesday to not having adopted a budget request for the 2012-13 school year.

As noted in today's article, the 6-3 vote in favor the budget proposal was very much in doubt until the roll call vote. Every vote was needed because it took a two-thirds majority to waive a policy that limits Wake from using more than half its fund balance to balance the budget.

Signs of the budget being in trouble came early in the discussion when Democratic board members Kevin Hill and Jim Martin said they couldn't vote yes. They didn't feel that the requested $8.8 million increase from the Wake County Commissioners was enough in light of cuts in recent years.

Wake County school board member Chris Malone is citing a scheduling conflict as the reason why he missed Tuesday night's board meeting to attend a campaign event.

Malone was a featured speaker at Tuesday night's North Raleigh Kitchen Table Meeting sponsored by Triangle Conservatives Unite. He was promoting his run for the Republican nomination for the N.C. House 35 seat.

When contacted Wednesday, Malone said he previously agreed to attend the March 27 KTM meeting but had to cancel when a special called meeting was called for that day.

How much revision is in store for year two of the new Wake County student assignment plan?

As noted in today's article, new Democratic school board members Susan Evans and Christine Kushner acknowledge it's too difficult to make changes at this late date for the 2012-13 school year. But they are talking about looking at substantive changes for the 2013-14 school year.

Kushner talked about the possibility of merging the choice plan with the base assignment component of the old plan.