It's time once again to apply for a seat in a Wake County magnet school.

As noted in today's article, the application period is now open through Jan. 25. You've got some magnet options and a restoration of some of the magnet selection criteria that had been dropped when the choice plan was in place.

Wake says that while the three new magnet schools and two revamped magnet schools are in "transition" for the 2013-14 school year, they'll be implementing their new programs their first year.

Should the Wake County school system go back to holding early release days or Wednesdays or continue to hold them on Fridays?

It's an argument that's been batted around the last few years with many families preferring to hold the six annual early release days on Fridays while many teachers would rather they be held on Wednesdays. For the last few years, the Republican board majority had opted for using Fridays.

But with a new Democratic board majority, it could be on Wednesdays for the 2013-14 school year. Some of those board members voiced support during Thursday's student achievement committee meeting for using Wednesdays.

The Wake County school board will vote Tuesday on the calendars that will be used for the 2013-14 school year.

Staff presented this week this set of draft 2013-14 calendars for traditional, year-round and modified schools. The only change the board requested is that June 11 instead of Nov. 27 be used as a weather makeup day on the traditional calendar.

The change was requested because the evening of Nov. 27, 2013 is the start of Hanukkah. Another reason that Nov. 27 is scheduled as a a vacation day is that it's the Wednesday before Thanksgiving.

James Overman, the senior director in charge of elementary school programs, has been tapped to lead the new task force charged with developing a student assignment plan for the Wake County school system.

Overman, a former Wake County Principal of the Year, was principal of East Garner and Creech Road elementary schools before moving to central office last year. He'll lead a team that includes five other administrators from Central Services.

The other task force members are Brad McMillen, a senior director in Evaluation and Research; David Ansbacher, senior director of Magnet Programs; Tamani Anderson Powell, a director in Magnet Programs; Susan Pullium, a director in Growth and Planning and Susan Andrews a senior administrator in Staff Development.