The Wake County school system could find that there's no such thing as a "free school" after all.

As noted in Saturday's article in The Cary News by Andrew Kenney, a developer is suing the Town of Cary and the school system for a $6 million refund on money that was given to build Mills Park Elementary School.

The lawsuit represents the latest chapter in the fallout caused by efforts by slow-growth advocates in Cary dating back to 1999 to get developers to help pay for costs such as new schools caused by their projects.

Next year's Wake County student reassignment plan is a work in progress with everything approved by the old school board under review with new suggestions coming in all the time.

During Tuesday's work session, Laura Evans, senior director of growth and planning, laid out to the board an explanation of the assignments being considered and the direction they're leaning toward. It will help to have your copy of the handout present.

The ensuing discussion showed how the thinking has changed to reflect the new student assignment policy. Multiple times, Evans talked about bringing students home, having them attend their neighborhood schools and moving the least number possible for stability.

Today marks the start of a new calendar era for several Wake County schools.

Leesville Road elementary and middle schools will open back on a traditional calendar after having operated as year-round schools. Mills Park Elementary will make the switch to the traditional calendar after opening as a year-round school in 2009.

Today's opening of Mills Park Middle School reflects the first break with the prior board's policy of opening all new middle schools and elementary schools on a year-round calendar.

It looks like Wake County teachers want to work in more affluent schools.

The most requested schools for teacher transfers are typically those in more affluent parts of the county. Wake schools with higher poverty levels tend to see far fewer requests from teachers to work there. (The requests are made by current teachers who want to work elsewhere in Wake.)

Excluding the new schools opening this summer, the five most requested schools this year are Davis Drive Middle, Holly Springs Elementary, Salem Middle, Brier Creek Elementary and Holly Ridge Elementary.

We're now seeing seeing some of the consequences from last week's Wake County school board to convert Leesville Road elementary and middle schools and Mills Park Elementary back to a traditional calendar and to open Mills Park Middle on that same schedule.

School administrators said today they're giving parents of 4,500 Leesville and Mills Park families until March 18 to apply to stay on a year-round calendar or to attend a magnet school.

The new window for Leesville and Mills Park families means Wake is pushing back the March 18 date to let other families know if they were accepted into a magnet school, year-round school or traditional-calendar school. The new date is April 8.

UPDATE: LEESVILLE AND MILLS PARK PARENTS DON'T HAVE TO FILE A NEW MAGNET APPLICATION IF THEY DID SO LAST MONTH 

Details are still being worked out on how to accommodate the families who still want to stay on the year-round calendar now that the Wake County school board has changed schedules for four schools for the 2010-11 school year.

The school board unanimously agreed Tuesday to convert Leesville Road elementary and middle schools and Mills Park Elementary to a traditional calendar and to open Mills Park MIddle on that same calendar.

The plan is to allow families at those four schools to apply to a year-round calendar if they don't want to stay after conversion. But the mechanism for allowing families to apply still is being worked out.

There's going to be a vote this afternoon on converting Leesville Road elementary and middle schools and Mills Park Elementary to a traditional calendar while opening Mills Park Middle on that same calendar.

The Wake County board agreed during this afternoon's committee of the whole meeting to go ahead with votes at the regular meeting on those four schools. While the COW votes were only on putting the schools on the action agenda, it's a good be that they'll be approved as well at the regular meeting.

The board appeared to be willing to defer to the wishes of individual members.

UPDATE

The school board unanimously approved the four calendar conversions.