Here's a quick recap of today's Wake County school board work session.

Bob Snidemiller, senior director of transportation, talked about how they're taking steps for the 2013-14 school year to avoid a repeat of this school year's bus problems. Steps include looking to hire 104 additional bus drivers, doing a more realistic analysis of routes and having drivers do practice runs during the actual times of day they'd be on the road.

School board member Jim Martin repeated his concerns the bond issue will fail if county commissioners take over school construction. He unsuccessfully tried to get wording included in the resolution requesting the bond that would talk about ensuring the quality of the projects that would be funded.

Much of the coverage of today's Wake County school board meeting will be focused on the release of the names of the superintendent finalists.

But the school board will be doing other things that will have a significant impact on the new superintendent. For one thing, the board will have the second and final reading on the revised student assignment policy that the new superintendent will be in charge of turning into a plan.

The second reading, as is standard, is listed on the consent agenda. It's pretty safe to say that one or more board members will request it be placed on the action agenda for it to be discussed and voted on separately.

Should Wake County's next middle school be built without a track or should the district buy land so that one can be built on site?

M-8, located off Leesville Church Road in northwest Raleigh, is a small property that initially was considered for use as an elementary school. So when the decision was made to open it as a middle school with a smaller than typical property size, no track was included in the design.

But school administrators asked the school board's facilities committee last week to consider authorizing the acquisition of enough land around M-8 so that a track can be built.

The lobbying and negotiating over what projects to include in the next Wake County school construction bond referendum is already in progress.

As noted in today's article, the scenarios presented Wednesday range from $609 million to $2.3 billion. It's understood that the $2.3 billion, which lays out all the district's needs, isn't going to happen.

The question is which projects to still fund in a reduced bond amount.

The school bond issue is back on the agenda today for the Wake County school board's facilities committee.

The committee will discuss different bond scenarios, a preliminary step before the info is presented to the full school board and to the county commissioners at the next meeting. The scenarios would give a range of different costs and projects that could be funded.

For instance, school district staff said at the last joint meeting they'd develop scenarios that included no additional year-round schools and ones that did, including possible some conversions of traditional-calendar schools.

The committee will also discuss what major renovations entail and potential changes to the designs of M8, the new middle school that would be built on Leesville Church Road in northwest Raleigh.

A swearing-in ceremony, the jumpstarting of a new middle school in northwest Raleigh and more criticism of the Wake County Commissioners is likely in store at today's Wake County school board meeting.

The school board will vote on approving the N.C. School Boards Association's 2013-14 legislative agenda and on approving the NCSBA resolution opposing allowing counties to take over ownership of school facilities.

During the discussion at the work session and the vote in the regular meeting, you'll probably hear more complaints about the Wake commissioners having requested the state legislative changes.

UPDATE

Click here to view the NCSBA 2013-14 legislative agenda.

Click here to view the NCSBA resolution opposing transfer of school ownership to county governments.

Speaking of new school needs, the Wake County school board will have to make a decision soon on which ones to jumpstart.

Wake has enough uncommitted design money to start work on either two new elementary schools or one new middle school. The schools where the design money will be allocated will open sooner than other schools that would be funded out of the next bond issue.

The board previously agreed to provide design funds to try to accelerate Abbotts Creek and Scotts Ridge elementary schools. Joe Desormeaux, assistant superintendent for facilities, said it hasn't been determined which two other new elementary schools would be targeted for additional designs funds if that option is chosen by the board.

With no firm date set for the next bond issue, Wake County school administrators want to use their savings to get a head start on some construction projects.

As noted in today's article, administrators want to use most of the $91.3 million in savings from the 2006 bond issue to add more high school seats. But the money could also be used to get work done on the long-discussed middle school near Leesville Church and Strickland roads in northwest Raleigh.

Click here for a handout of the presentation that staff gave the school board last week.