The next step toward building public support for Wake County's new student assignment plan kicks off tonight with the first of six informational meetings that will be held over the next two two weeks.

During the meetings, the student assignment task force will give an update on the choice-based plan and also answer questions from the public. Tonight's meeting is at Middle Creek High School, followed by Thursday at Wakefield High, Sept. 7 at Apex High, Sept. 8 at Southeast Raleigh High, Sept. 13 at Broughton High and Sept. 15 at East Wake High. All run from 6:30 to 8 p.m.

The meetings were initially announced on Monday with the district revising the meeting dates and locations yesterday. The short notice for the meetings prompted a Monday blog post from Bob Geary of the liberal Independent weekly asking "what's the rush?"

Superintendent Tony Tata had said last month he would hold staff-led meetings sometime in September. The school board is also expected to hold meetings at some point.

(I'm still getting caught up on things today so please be patient.)

UPDATE

Fewer than 50 people showed up tonight at Middle Creek High. The questions from the audience, along with answers, will eventually be posted online by the district.

Wake County Republican Party Chairwoman Susan Bryant is disputing the idea that the school board races were ever really non-partisan.

In the latest issue of the Elephant Express on Wednesday, Bryant takes Bob Geary of the liberal Independent weekly to task for a recent blog post accusing the GOP of making the Wake County school board races partisan.

"We blamed the non-partisan Democratic-controlled school board for the well-documented failures of the past," Bryant writes. "And, the Democrats continue to accuse our Republican members of the school board of all kinds of sins as they seek to take all seats on the board in the next election."

Bob Geary of the Independent is calling on progressives and moderates to join in backing Cathy Truitt over John Tedesco in the District 2 school board runoff.

In a Thursday column on the liberal weekly's web site, Geary said that voters need to back Truitt or else a Tedesco win means "there may be no stopping the Republican right from rolling their wrecking ball over 30 years worth of successful school policies." While Geary acknowledges that Truitt "has sent mixed signals about busing and diversity... she won't act precipitously, recklessly." 

Geary says that moderates and progressives are reaching out Truitt, and vice versa. But he says Truitt "needs money and troops and she needs them immediately to even have a long-shot chance."