Should the Wake County school board fill Chris Malone's soon-to-be-vacant seat with a person from Eastern Wake?

As noted in today's article, some Eastern Wake leaders say the vacancy should be filled by a person who would be strong voice for the region. Malone's district includes most of Eastern Wake and also Wake Forest and Rolesville.

Area leaders say they want things such as more resources, magnet schools, electives and other programs to help with the high percentage of free-and-reduced-lunch students in the region's schools.

What lessons should be taken from the way Eastern Wake County parents responded to the new student assignment plan this year?

As noted in today's article by Paul A. Specht, data analyzed by the Eastern Wake News indicated that about 11 percent of the student population in Knightdale, Wendell, and Zebulon participated in the first two rounds of the school choice process (about 990 of 9,070 students)

Approximately 67 percent of the students from eastern Wake who participated in the choice plan picked schools outside of the region as their top choice (670 students listed a non-regional school as their top choice, while 319 students listed a local school as their top choice).