Wake County school board candidate Donna Williams raised close to $50,000 in her unsuccessful bid to win the District 6 seat.

In her final 2011 campaign finance report filed earlier this month, Williams reported raising $48,335.96. The Republican spent all the money and closed out the campaign committee.

Her main Democratic opponent, Christine Kushner, raised $51,343.47 and spent $37,123.21 to easily win the Raleigh seat. Combined, Williams and Kushner spent nearly $100,000.

Wake County school board chairman Ron Margiotta and Susan Evans are both pulling in substantial amounts of cash in the District 8 race, including money from the Popes, Bob Luddy and the Campbells.

The new campaign report filed today by Margiotta shows he had raised $40,367.33 as of Aug. 30 with $34,111.23 on hand. The new report for Evans shows she had raised $26,406.43 as of Aug. 30 with $21,405.30 on hand.

The biggest donors for Margiotta in his new report are the $4,000 apiece from conservative businessman Art Pope, his wife Katherine Pope and conservative businessman Bob Luddy.

Wake County school board candidate Heather Losurdo has announced a new round of endorsements from Republican elected officials.

In a press release Friday, Losurdo said her campaign "is proud to announce the endorsement and full support of the following members of the North Carolina Legislature." She listed state Sen. Neal Hunt, state House Majority Leader Paul Stam, state Rep. Marilyn Avila and state Rep. Tom Murry.

Losurdo, who in all likelihood will be the GOP endorsed candidate in District 3, has already picked up endorsements from several Wake County commissioners and school board members.

Wake County school board member Carolyn Morrison says she's not endorsing school board chairman Ron Margiotta in his re-election bid even though she appeared at his campaign kickoff event.

Morrison said she attended Margiotta's July 18 event as a sign of respect to the board's longest serving member. She said he respected how he persevered as a member of the board's minority for several years.

But Morrison said she's not planning on endorsing Margiotta, his District 8 opponent Susan Evans or any other candidate in this fall's races. She said she might change her mind if there are run-off contests.

A bill, H498, was introduced Monday in the state House that would allow the Wake County school board chair to vote on all issues and not just to break ties.

The bill was sponsored by Rep Nelson Dollar and co-sponsored by House Majority Leader Paul Stam, Rep. Marilyn Avila and Rep. Tom Murry. None of the Democratic members of the Wake delegation are sponsors of this local bill.

The bill was requested by the school board as part of this year's legislative agenda. School board chairman Ron Margiotta had pitched the bill when he met with the Wake delegation last week.

If passed, it would change the law that's been in place since the 1976 merger of the Raleigh and Wake school systems.

Don't look for the Morrisville Town Council to back the new Wake County school board majority's move toward neighborhood schools.

As noted in Sunday's Cary News, the Morrisville Town Council voted 4-3 to remove from last week's meeting agenda a resolution supporting parental choice and neighborhood schools. Democrats account for five of the seven seats on the council with one Republican and one unaffiilated member.

"I don't feel that the council should be endorsing the actions of other government bodies," said Councilman Steve Diehl, who led the charge to remove the resolution from the agenda.

CORRECTION

CORRECTED TO REFLECT THAT THERE ARE FIVE DEMOCRATS, ONE REPUBLICAN AND ONE UNAFFILIATED ON THE TOWN COUNCIL

A GOP candidate is turning to members of the new Wake County school board majority for help in winning the party's nomination for a state House seat.

In a press release today, Tom Murry announced that new Wake school board members Deborah Prickett and Chris Malone are supporting his bid for the GOP nomination in District 41. Murry, a Morrisville Town Councilman, and Todd Batchelor, a former finance director for the N.C. Republican Party, have both announced they'll seek the GOP nomination.

"Tom Murry is a proven conservative leader committed to building strong neighborhood schools," Prickett said in the press release. "And families throughout Raleigh, Cary, Apex and Morrisville can trust that as their representative in Raleigh, Tom will be a strong advocate for their interests."