The latest campaign finance reports show even more how much of a role liberal activist Dean Debnam played to get a new Democratic majority elected to the Wake County school board.

This year-end report filed Friday by Wake Citizens for Good Government, which was formed by Debnam in 2009, shows the PAC donated $25,000 during the school board campaign.

The biggest chunk of $10,000 went to the N.C. Democratic Party, whose final report isn't viewable yet but is expected to show something was spent in Wake on the school board races.

Here's a statement that David Parker, chairman of the state Democratic Party, issued Tuesday on the election results on the Wake County school board and the rest of North Carolina:

“North Carolinians spoke loud and clear tonight—Democrats are their choice to lead North Carolina into the future,” Parker said. “Democratic mayors, city councilors, county commissioners and school board members all across North Carolina were successful tonight in the face of overwhelming special interest money and influence.

It is clear that the grassroots simply refuses to allow Republicans to turn back the clock on North Carolina. This is a prime example of individual communities taking local action to move our state forward.”

State Democratic Party Chairman David Parker is cheering tonight's Wake County school board election results.

"Congratulations to Susan Evans for defeating Tea Party ringleader Ron Margiotta," Parker said in a press release tonight. "I have no doubt that Susan will work hard to restore the confidence, trust and integrity lost under Margiotta’s failed leadership. Ron Margiotta’s days of making Wake County Schools the butt of national jokes is now over.”

Parker also praised the Wake County Democratic Party's efforts.

"I want to congratulate all of our fantastic candidates as well as all of the dedicated volunteers and staff who worked long hours to make this happen," Parker said. "I would also like to send a special thank you to Mack Paul, Chairman of the Wake County Democratic Party. Without Mack’s hard work and commitment, this comeback for our schools would not be possible. Mack's dedication to the future of Wake County is beyond question.”

A group headed by a Raleigh Democratic businessman prominent in the gay community has sent out a Wake County school board campaign mailer urging voters to "vote again Ron Margiotta and the Tea Party agenda."

The front of the mailer charges that board chairman "Ron Margiotta forced the Tea Party agenda on our schools" and says that "on October 11, we can fight back." The wording borders an image of an angry Margiotta standing next to a Raleigh police officer at one of the school board meetings that was disrupted by protesters.

"Wake County School Board Chairman Ron Margiotta is backed by Tea Party radicals with a right-wing agenda that is hurting our public schools," according to the inside of the flier. "This partisan, slash-and-burn agenda is draining resources from our schools  and ruining their reputation. The results of Margiotta's agenda have been devastating — our schools' accreditation is now at risk, and $80 million in federal school funding has been jeopardized."

SEE UPDATE AT END OF POST

Republicans and Democrats are going after each other in another round of squabbling about the Wake County school board elections.

In this week's issue of the Elephant Express, Wake County Republican Party Chairwoman Susan Bryant responds to state Democratic Party Chairman David Parker's Aug. 20 call to action to his party's members.

Parker blames the changes in Wake schools on the "vicious fanaticism" of those carrying on Jesse Helms' legacy. In the process, Parker invokes the Tea Party, the Koch brothers and Wake County Commissioners Chairman Paul Coble.

North Carolina Democratic leaders are again hoping they can mobilize opposition to the Wake County school board to revive the party.

As noted in today's article by Rob Christensen, the Wake school board was brought up at Saturday's Jefferson-Jackson Day events, which are the main annual fundraiser for state Democrats. It was part of a day of speeches in which Republicans were roundly criticized and Gov. Bev Perdue "received a hero's welcome," according to the article.

David Parker, chairman of the N.C. Democratic Party, said Saturday just as the Republican wave in the state with the Wake County school board elections in 2009, the Democratic revival would begin with the Wake school board races this fall.

A new campaign mailer from the state Democratic Party urging Wake County voters not "to go back back to the days of separate, but not so equal" is drawing complaints from the Republican candidates for county commissioner.

The mailer urging candidates to vote for the four Democratic candidates for commissioner insinuates that resegregation could occur in the school system if the GOP candidates win. The state Democratic Party has been using the school board's elimination of the diversity policy all year to invigorate its base.

"Wake County is at a crossroads," says the mailer. "Are we going to continue our progressive tradition that all our children matter, or are we going to go back to the days of separate, but not so equal? This year's election of County Commissioners is crucial to the future of Wake County schools."

Did state House budget leaders target the Wake County school system for dropping socioeconomic diversity in the student assignment policy?

The budget adopted Thursday night by the state House orders the State Board of Education to "take into consideration the extent to which the local school administrative unit's policies or expenditures have contributed to or is contributing to increased segregation of schools on the basis of race or socioeconomic status."

At stake is how much money each school district could receive from the state from the disadvantaged student supplemental fund. According to Bob Luebke of the conservative Civitas Institute, Wake received $3.4 million from the state's $76.2 million DSSF fund last year.

North Carolina Democrats are again criticizing the Wake County school board majority in hopes of bringing out local Dems to the polls this year.

As noted in Sunday's article by Rob Christensen, the school board's shift from the diversity policy was brought up more than once at this year's Jefferson-Jackson Day fundraising events. David Young chairman of the state Democratic Party, and Gov. Bev Perude both lobbed shots at the Wake school board.

Young said Saturday that the Republican-backed majority on the Wake County Board of Education "want to go back to Pleasantville in the 1950s."

The State Board of Elections has finished for the day and intends to begin discussing the case in closed session Thursday morning.

Board chairman Larry Leake told lawyers he expected the board to emerge from their closed session at 9:45 a.m.

The day was a slog through details of how the N.C. Democratic Party handled its campaign money. But the big events of the day came when lawyers delivered their closing arguments.

EASLEY GOES ALL IN: Gov. Mike Easley, through his lawyer, says he's innocent but wants the case referred to the Wake County District Attorney.

NO HARM: Lawyers for the N.C. Democratic Party and Easley's campaign said in closing statements that no crimes have been committed. The party maintains it followed the law. Easley's campaign acknowledges it should have accounted for all of its flights. Both sides say they forfeited money to make up for the problems.

See a photo gallery of action from Thursday's final day of testimony and arguments by News & Observer photojournalist Shawn Rocco.