Are Wacky Wednesdays on the way out with the new school board majority?

As noted in today's article by Ray Martin, new school board member John Tedesco said it's "highly probable" that the new majority will scrap the weekly Wednesday early dismissals. Tedesco didn't rule out the possibility that the change could happen as soon as this school year instead of waiting until July.

"I can tell you what I've heard and what the others have heard is an overwhelming number of parents who are not happy with this and we'll do our best to represent the parents," Tedesco said in the article. "I could not imagine that this would go on in the next academic year,"

Before you guys ask, Wake school officials say that it cost $487.50 to cover the cost of the reception for new school board member Keith Sutton.

After being sworn in by N.C. Appeals Court Judge Jim Wynn, the board meeting was recessed Tuesday to hold the reception. Michael Evans, Wake's chief communications officer, said Child Nutrition Services catered the event at $6.50 per person for 75 people.

The crowd, which included former school board member Beverley Clark and Wake County Commissioner Chairman Harold Webb, dined on punch and hors d'oeuvres.

Receptions are traditionally held when a new board member takes office. But this year is also an extremely challenging budget year.

The hype is already beginning in school districts across the state about how students did so much better this year on the state's testing program.

The improved performance shouldn't be much of a surprise considering how for the first time elementary and middle schools were allowed to count passing scores on retests. That fact got only a brief mention in some school district press releases.

(To be fair, you could get the info from Charlotte-Mecklenburg schools if you dug past the press release to click on the attachments.)

Not surprisingly, a lot of students and teachers skipped school Monday and will likely do so again today.

As noted in today's article by Jane Ruffin and Josh Shaffer, the student absenteeism rate hit 18.5 percent on Monday compared to a more typical 5.5 percent. Families opted to go ahead with the spring break plans they had made before the first two days of this week were changed to makeup days.

Staff absenteeism was also a problem. For instance, a shortage of teacher assistants for cafeteria duty at Davis Drive Elementary was to have caused students to eat lunch in their classrooms. At Broughton High, 16 percent of the staff was out.

According to the article, Michael Evans, Wake's chief communications, officer said they might have used a Saturday instead of spring break if only one day had to be made up.

We'll call this an end of the week effort at rumor control.

As one poster commented today, letters are going out this week telling people on terminating contracts that they expire on June 30. But school officials say this is the same letter they send out at this time every year.

The difference, according to Michael Evans, chief communications officer, is that people on terminating contracts are noticing the letters this time. In the past, he said people ignored them because they'd routinely be rehired after the letters were sent.

Evans said they're still waiting to find out how much state funding is coming to determine how many of the 1,496 terminating-contract employees will be rehired.

Supt. Del Burns is willing to stick out his neck, or at least his hair, for a good cause.

Burns is one of the people who has agreed to have his hair shaved off Saturday to help raise money for the St. Baldrick's Foundation. The organization raises money to help children who are afflicted with childhood cancer.

Considering some of the more colorful reality shows on MTV, the one that just came to Green Hope High School was a fairly tame one.

The producers of "Made" got the school's permission to film on campus. The show helps teenagers to transform their lives, including seeing if they can become a varsity football player, homecoming queen or cheerleader.

It could be a tough next two days ahead for high school students.

As noted in today's article, the cancellation of school for the past two days will mean rescheduling final exams for Wake's 39,000 high school students. The option that schools could use to solve the problem won't be a pretty one for students.

The option being considered by many high schools, assuming school resumes tomorrow, is to have Tuesday's exams on Thursday.

It's going to be tomorrow before the student enrollment for the first day is available.

Michael Evans, Wake's chief communications officer, said the total won't be available today because of delays getting the information back from all the schools.

In addition, Evans disputed a media report that said there were widespread bus problems today. He acknowledged there were "glitches." But he said there have only been a few complaints, similar to what you'd normally find on the opening of school.

"It's not coming unglued like one would think if there were rampant problems," Evans said.

At least one school board member isn't happy with the school district's efforts to go with a multi-year student assignment plan.

During Tuesday's facilities committees meeting, board member Beverley Clark said she it's wise to let parents know about Wake's long-range plans and what areas might be moved. She just isn't thrilled about guaranteeing years in advance the specific nodes that will be assigned to each school.

"To let people know where they'll be assigned three years out is the biggest mistake the school system can make," Clark said. "I hope I'm wrong."