Some school board candidates definitely want it known that they're getting money from the N.C. Association of Educators.

The NCAE's PAC has given $2,000 apiece to Rita Rakestraw, Horace Tart, Karen Simon and Lois Nixon, But the donations weren't listed on the original finance reports filed last week by Rakestraw and Simon.

Both Rakestraw and Simon say they mistakenly left out the the page in their respective reports that would have showed the NCAE donation. It definitely was an accident in Simon's case as she called after Friday's article about campaign donations to question why her NCAE contribution had been omitted.

Wake Superintendent Del Burns is mounting another defense of the school district's decision not to rely too much on federal stimulus dollars.

In this week's journal, Burns says the stimulus dollars are "not a magical solution that will make everything like it was." This comes as outside groups, including NCAE and Gov. Perdue, are saying that Wake should use the stimulus dollars more to save teacher jobs.

Burns stresses that the stimulus dollars are set to expire in two years.

Wake's reluctance to extensively use federal stimulus money to save existing jobs is drawing fire from the N.C. Association of Educators and Gov. Beverly Perdue.

As noted in today's article, Wake school leaders complained that the state's discretionary cuts are not really so discretionary after all, leading to larger class sizes and fewer teaching positions this fall. They also are saying they're reluctant to rely too much on stimulus money that's scheduled to go away after two years.

But NCAE and Perdue, which both backed the budget deal and argued that stimulus money could be a lifesaver for school jobs, aren't happy with Wake's response.

UPDATED END OF POST TO INCLUDE LINKS TO PERDUE'S BUDGET ORDER, WHERE WAKE IS MAKING THE CUTS AND HOW IT'S SPENDING THE STIMULUS MONEY.

Educators rally to protest proposed N.C. budget cuts to education at the NCAE center on Salisbury Street in downtown Raleigh on Saturday afternoon, ... more

Teachers can celebrate a small victory in being able to take a day off from work while school is in session and not have to pay for a substitute.

Included in the state budget is money to cover "personal leave" days for teachers. In the past, teachers had to pay $50 to take a personal day. The money went to help cover the cost of the substitute.

Jennifer Lanane, president of the Wake chapter of the North Carolina Association of Educators said the money included in the budget only includes one day for personal leave instead of the two days the association and others were lobbying for. Lanane also pointed out that the money will only cover one year, so teacher associations will have to fight for additional money next year.

According to an N&O article in April 2007, the policy had been on the books since the early 1960s. In 2006, 77,252 personal leave days were taken by teachers across the state, and it cost about $6 million to pay for substitutes. Teachers contributed about $3.8 million of that cost.

Teachers complained that they were being charged the $50, but a substitute was not always used. They said in many cases, other teachers covered their classes.

Under state policy, teachers earn two days each year for personal leave, which is often used for weddings, graduations or birthdays. Teachers don't have to pay for a sub when they are sick, but they had to pay the deduction when they took a personal leave day.