The spin from both supporters and critics of Wake County's new student assignment plan is well in progress.

As noted in today's article, critics like the Great Schools in Wake Coalition and some parents dispute Superintendent Tony Tata's assertions that the first round of the selection process was a success.

But Michael Alves, who is being paid by Wake to consult on the plan's implementation, and Wake Education Partnership Vice President Tim Simmons say the results are encouraging.

Who will the Democratic majority on the Wake County school board side with on the new student assignment plan?

As noted in today's article, different influential groups have taken opposing sides on the plan. Will the Democratic board members side with the Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce and the Wake Education Partnership who want the plan to be implemented for this fall?

Or will the new majority side with the Great Schools in Wake Coalition's call for the plan to be delayed a year?

Wake County student assignment will be the topic of a panel discussion Thursday night at UNC-Chapel Hill.

Tim Simmons of the Wake Education Partnership, Terry Stoops of the John Locke Foundation and "parent activist" Neil Riemann will be the panelists. Brenda Berg, a member of the Great Schools in Wake Coalition, will be the moderator.

"Come to hear from expert panelists who will explore the complexities of school board politics and the topic of busing for diversity as they apply to this current and local issue," according to this flier for the event.

The forum starts at 6:30 p.m. in Gardner Hall, Room 105 at UNC-Chapel Hill. It's sponsored by the UNC chapter of Students for Education Reform and the Roosevelt Institute Education Center.

We could be getting closer to an official position from the Great Schools in Wake Coalition on the Wake School Choice Plan.

GSIW issued a media advisory yesterday on a March 15 community forum on the Wake School Choice Plan that it's sponsoring with the Coalition of Concerned Citizens for African American Children.

The forum will run Tuesday from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at Martin Street Baptist Church, 1001 East Martin Street in Raleigh.

Here's the short version on the new student assignment model presented today by the Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce and the Wake Education Partnership.

Under the “controlled-choice model” developed by Michael Alves, every Wake County family would be offered a choice of at least 10 elementary schools, five middle schools and five high schools. That list would include at least two magnet schools, two year-round schools and two traditional-calendar schools.

It's being billed as a compromise that would allow more students to go to schools closer to where they live while allowing some diversity in schools by trying not to overload them with too many low-achieving students.

UPDATE

Click here to read the online story.

BTW, school board vice chairwoman Debra Goldman is here at the press briefing. I don't yet see any of the other board members here.

In case you missed the link in the post to view the proposal, click here.

Tweaked wording to say at least 10 elementary, five middle and five high schools.

Here's a statement from Superintendent Tony Tata on today's proposal:

This is a highly complex and emotional challenge that requires input and discussion from the entire community in order for us to craft a solution that truly meets the needs of all families in Wake County.   The Chamber and Wake Ed Partnership’s proposal today will contribute to our planning process as we develop our student assignment plans in the months ahead."

You still might have a chance to line up a visit this week with new Wake County Superintendent Anthony Tata.

As noted in Friday's article by Thomas Goldsmith, Tata will speak with the Wake County Taxpayers Association while he's in town this week. But school board chairman Ron Margiotta, who is organizing Tata's itinerary, said today that he's nowhere near completing the schedule for the rest of the Thursday and Friday trip.

"We're trying to reach out to elected officials, to the (Greater Raleigh) Chamber (of Commerce), to Wake Ed(ucation) Partnership...," Margiotta said.

UPDATE

Simmons also said they'll also help out with the Jan. 14 reception for Tata that's being sponsored by the Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce.

Depending on your point of view, don't look for Michael Alves to provide Wake County school board members with any presents or lumps of coal in their Christmas stockings.

Tim Simmons, vice president of communications of the Wake Education Partnership, said Alves won't be presenting his controlled-choice plan to school leaders until January. The original timeline had called for giving a student assignment plan to the board by November or December.

With the holidays coming up so soon, Simmons said they decided it would make more sense to give the report and hold a public presentation in January. Alves was commissioned to develop the plan by the WEP and the Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce.

As it seems to be the case with student assignment issues nowadays, it looks like it's up to Wake County school board vice chairwoman Debra Goldman whether the district will embrace the plan being developed by Michael Alves.

As noted in today's article, Goldman is the only board member who hasn't publicly stated whether she's willing to consider Alves' use of student achievement as a factor in assigning students. Goldman has declined repeated requests for comment and apparently hasn't told other board members or Tim Simmons of the Wake Education Partnership where she stands on the achievement question.

It looks like it will be up to her because the other four GOP school board members have publicly objected, saying using student achievement is an  attempt to revive the old socioeconomic diversity policy. The four Democratic board members say they'll gives student achievement a look.

The forum Thursday at Lacy Elementary School's PTA meeting produced more than a few highlights.

You had, as previously noted, school board members Ron Margiotta and Deborah Prickett objecting to the use of student achievement in the Alves plan. You had a somewhat modified version of the presentation on the Alves plan from what was given last week to the Garner Chamber of Commerce.

You had Dana Cope questioning Tim Simmons about the Alves plan and objecting to board member Carolyn Morrison's vote this year against returning the Lacy nodes from Stough Elementary.

Wake County school board members Ron Margiotta and Deborah Prickett both said tonight they oppose the use of student achievement as a factor in Michael Alves' controlled-choice student assignment plan.

Both board members were unexpected guests at tonight's Lacy Elementary School PTA forum on student assignment in which Wake Education Partnership Vice President Tim Simmons gave details on the plan that Alves is developing.

Margiotta, the board chairman, said he's willing to look at the Alves plan and that he likes how it's using proximity, stability and choice as guiding principles. But he equated the plan's use of student achievement as a "quota," similar to the use of socioeconomic diversity that the board dropped from the student assignment policy this year.