New Wake County school board member Jim Martin raised more than $37,000 during his successful election bid, despite what it says in his filings.

Martin's year-end campaign report filed Monday shows him with a deficit of $13,443.70. But it looks like the report has a number of errors, including not including the amounts raised and spent in prior reports.

When factoring in the last report filed before the election, it looks like Martin raised $37.076 and spent $30,732.19 in winning the District 5 seat.

Wake County school board member Christine Kushner raised more than $50,000 in her bid to win the District 6 seat.

In her final 2011 report filed Wednesday, Kushner reported raising $51,343.47 and spending $37,123.21. This leaves the Democrat with $14,220.26 that she can use to donate to other groups or to prepare for a future campaign run.

Her main opponent, Republican Donna Williams, raised $48.335.96.

Wake County school board chairman Kevin Hill raised nearly $70,000 in his successful reelection bid this fall.

A new report filed today shows that Hill, a Democrat, raised $68,598 and spent $54,322 in the District 3 race. Heather Losurdo, a Republican, hasn't filed her final report yet. But she had reported raising $82,357 through Oct. 24.

Before this year, only one candidate had raised more than $50,000 in a Wake school board race. But at least four candidates hit that mark last fall during the high-stakes election.

The new Democratic majority on the Wake County school board is now in place following a packed swearing-in ceremony.

After being sworn in, the new members talked about focusing on improving education for Wake’s 146,000 students, listening to the families and trying to go beyond the 5-4 votes on major issues that took place over the past two years.

“If this board comes together with the common denominator of all children all schools, we’ll continue to have a very successful 16th largest school district in the nation,” said school board member Kevin Hill.

One question for the new Democratic majority on the Wake County school board will be what to do with the vice chair's position on Dec. 6.

The board will have to pick a new chair because Ron Margiotta was defeated last month. But the board doesn't have to replace John Tedesco as vice chairman because his one-year term runs until June.

The board could vote Dec. 6 to replace Tedesco. Or the new majority could take no action on the vice chair's position to allow Tedesco to finish out the term.

Wake County school board member Kevin Hill is making a personal robocall to voters today to ask them for support on Tuesday.

In the robocall, Hill touts his educational experience. He also says he "will work with Superintendent Tata as we move forward on the new assignment plan, and I will work to get the board's focus back on student achievement."

Perry Woods, an advisor for Hill, said the call was targeted at people who voted Oct. 11, regardless of their party affiliation.

Democratic Wake school board member Kevin Hill is crossing party lines to make a last-minute pitch to Republican voters.

In this new campaign mailer hitting mailboxes today, Hill touts his experience as an educator and the message "excellent schools + high achievement = economic prosperity." Perry Woods, who is advising Hill, said this mailer was sent to Republicans who voted Oct. 11.

"The focus of my adult life has been on putting students first," Hill says in the mailer. "My allegiance is solely on ensuring every Wake County child receives the education they need and deserve to be successful."

Turnout will be crucial Tuesday as fewer people will likely cast votes in the runoff than in the general election. In theory,  Republicans are more likely to go for Heather Losurdo. But Hill could pick up some GOP votes from this mailer.

Wake County school board candidate Heather Losurdo provided proof this evening to back up statements on her website that she had overseen $2 billion in small business loans for First Union Bank in the late 1990s.

Progress NC Action, a liberal advocacy group, had accused Losurdo of embellishing her resume, questioning how a person with no college degree and a personal bankruptcy could have that level of responsibility. At a press conference today, Losurdo said that she had gotten in contact with Donald Senior, her supervisor at First Union, to show her statements were correct.

Losurdo also presented statements that she said Senior had made today to a television reporter substantiating her duties at First Union.

SEE UPDATE AT END OF POST

Terry Stoops and Perry Woods had a running exchange today on the qualifications of Heather Losurdo and Kevin Hill to be on the Wake County school board.

Stoops, director of education studies for the conservative John Locke Foundation, kicked things off in this blog post today responding to Woods  saying on the Bill LuMaye Show that Losurdo lacked qualifications for being on the board.

Citing the broad qualifications in the state Constitution, Stoops writes that "it is an implicit acknowledgment that experience and credentials do not guarantee competence." He adds that "diverse perspectives and experiences strengthen elected bodies."

How's this for a what-if scenario from the Wake County school board elections?

During an appearance Wednesday on The Bill LuMaye Show on WPTF, Democratic political strategist Perry Woods speculated on what might have happened if school board chairman Ron Margiotta had faced Jim Martin instead of Susan Evans in the District 8 race.

"They kind of got maybe a little too cute and moved him out of the district," said Woods, who worked for the Democratic school board candidates. "And I think Ron probably had a better chance of beating Jim Martin than he did Susan Evans, who ended up beating him."