Rob Schofield is slamming Wake County Superintendent Tony Tata for questioning school board members Susan Evans and Christine Kushner about their ties to the Great Schools in Wake Coalition.

In a blog post today, Schofield of the liberal N.C. Policy Watch writes that "Tata is little more than a puppet voice for the same forces that owned and manipulated the former “gang of five." He calls Tata's latest actions a "dishonest and politically-calculated assault. He praises Great Schools as a "heroic citizens group" that is "made up almost of exclusively of concerned moms."

Schofield, who has been a frequent critic of Tata, contends that raising concerns that Evans and Kushner are kowtowing to a special-interest group are "an outrageous set of lies." He points to the various groups that current and former Republican school board members have been involved with.

"The bottom line: Absent some kind of sincere apology, Tata has irreparably compromised his ability to lead the Wake County schools in an honest and productive way," Schofield writes.

The liberal/progressive Great Schools in Wake Coalition is being praised for helping oust the Republican majority on the Wake County school board.

In this week's issue of the liberal Independent Weekly, GSIW received one of the publication's 2012 Citizen Awards. The article cites Great Schools' various efforts over the past two years such as its white papers, community forums and having members speak at school board meetings.

"When the 2011 elections in Wake County resulted in a stunning defeat for the Republicans, with all five school board seats on the ballot won by pro-diversity candidates, GSIW was the major factor in the outcome," according to the article by Bob Geary.

Rob Schofield is wondering why Wake County school board member Debra Goldman is tweeting about Gov. Bev Perdue's poll numbers during a time when "Wake County schools are going through a momentous and controversial reassignment process."

In a blog post today for the liberal N.C. Policy Watch, Schofield writes that Goldman's tweet draws a "huh." He writes that "usually" tweets from politicians "have some plausible connection" to "their realm of responsibility.

"Is there something Goldman hasn’t told us?" Schofield writes. "Does she share (school board member John) Tedesco’s ambitions for higher office? is she gonna’ join us pontificating pundits as a regular blogosphere inhabitant?

But what the heck? Whatever the case, bring ‘em on Debra. We look forward to hearing what you have to say — at least with respect to the Wake County schools."

The liberal N.C. Policy Watch is accusing conservatives of giving John Tedesco a do-nothing job so that he can pay his bills while serving on the Wake County school board.

In a Progressive Pulse blog post today, Rob Schofield marks the sixth anniversary of when it was announced that Tedesco would be president and CEO of the newly formed N.C. Center for Education Reform. Schofield contends that the group, which Tedesco has said is still getting set up, has done nothing.

"And here are the words that most accurately convey the evident substantive output of the group that employs Tedesco at $6,000 per month (at least from a pretty thorough review of the group’s website): Zilch. Nada. Bupkis," Schofield writes.

Here's more signs that life for Wake County Superintendent Tony Tata will be bumpier under the new Democratic school board majority.

In a post today on the liberal Schools Matter blog, Jim Horn points to Cash Michaels' article in The Carolinian about the crowding at Walnut Creek Elementary. Horn essentially calls for the new majority to get rid of Tata.

"We must wonder if the new sane school board majority will allow the incompetent and callous Tata to continue demolishing the reputation of Wake County Schools," Horn writes.

UPDATE

Click here to view the precis for the Walnut Creek capping vote, which includes eight schools the school board could choose from to send the overflow students to for the rest of the school year.

A new conservative Civitas Action robocall designed to hurt Wake County school board member Kevin Hill in the runoff election is drawing complaints from the liberal N.C. Policy Watch.

In this Tuesday robocall, Civitas Action charges "liberal Kevin Hill voted to return to the days of constant reassignment and bureaucrats deciding what school your children attend" when he voted against the student assignment plan.

In a blog post today for N.C. Policy Watch, Rob Schofield charges it's a "scurrilous and inaccurate call."

Rob Schofield is joining in on the cheering from liberal critics over Wake County school board chairman Ron Margiotta's election defeat.

In a blog post tonight for the liberal N.C. Policy Watch, Schofield writes that "thousands of Wake County voters sent a strong message Tuesday night by dismissing the principal architect of a two-year effort to dismantle the county’s much-acclaimed school integration program."

Tonight's turnout was about 21 percent of the eligible voters in the five districts. Schofield writes that "though voter turnout was light, it was nearly double that of two years ago when ideological conservatives swept several school board seats."

Rob Schofield doesn't appear to be optimistic that the majority will change  on the Wake County school board or that the new student assignment plan will do much for diversity.

In a blog post today, Schofield of the liberal N.C. Policy Watch says that the districts on the ballot Tuesday means there's a "small" chance "to dislodge the current right-wing school board majority." He says "the anti-diversity forces" have come up with an assignment plan that's so complicated that "an average person has very little chance of fully grasping the new plan — much less explaining it to others."

He praises Neil Riemann for his analysis of the plan on his blog. Riemann contends "the plan will further polarize our schools by race, wealth, and achievement.”

"In other words, it’s hard to follow and frequently secretive, but the bottom line on what the Wake school board majority has been doing is this: The group is slowly dismantling a once-excellent school system one cut at a time," Schofield writes. "If voters do take the extraordinary step of turning out the right-wingers like Board Chair Ron Margiotta, it will be because they decide they’ve had enough of such an approach."

The spinning is going on about how much transportation costs will be impacted by Wake County's new student assignment plan.

School administrators said Tuesday that it could could cost five to 25 additional buses because of the grandfathering that will be employed over the next few years as the plan is phased in. Administrators said they expect costs to drop below current levels once the grandfathering of current students ends.

In a blog post Wednesday, Matt Ellinwood of the liberal N.C. Policy Watch cited the transportation analysis to mock critics of the old diversity policy.

CORRECTION

The blog post was written by Matt Ellinwood.

What message, if any, can you draw from the lack of activity on the website for the education group run by Wake County school board vice chairman John Tedesco?

In a blog post today for the liberal N.C. Policy Watch, Rob Schofield speculates on the lack of updates for the N.C. Center for Education Reform's website. He writes that "the group’s public output has been a big, fat zero."

"One has to wonder what the group’s founders and funders are thinking – if anything," Schofield writes. "Is it: 'What the heck is going on here?' or 'Our plan of providing a convenient cover so that conservatives can pay Tedesco to be on the school board is working out just fine!"

Tedesco responded to the N&O today that the website hasn't been updated yet because he's been busy getting the new non-profit started up. He said he has been working on several education initiatives.