New Wake County school board members Susan Evans and Jim Martin are denouncing as "absolutely false" a rumor being spread by Republicans that they browbeat Superintendent Tony Tata and staff about the new student assignment plan.

In an issue of the Elephant Express sent today, Wake County Republican Party Chairwoman Susan Bryant says "there's a rumor floating around" that Evans and Martin "barged" into a student assignment task force meeting "and ordered him (Tata) to take no steps toward implementing the plan." Bryant writes that "we understand their yelling was so loud it could be heard out in the hall."

"I don't know how she can completely fabricate something like this," said Evans, in an interview today, about the charges from Bryant.

UPDATE

In en e-mail response, Tata said "we had a meaningful, frank, and sometimes spirited discussion" at the Oct. 21 meeting. I haven't gotten back a response from him clarifying what that means.

While I don't think shortening Tata's response changed anything, here's the full reply he gave me yesterday:

"I had not heard any rumors and had not seen the newsletter until you emailed it to me. As I announced two press conferences ago, I invited Dr. Martin, Ms. Evans, and Ms. Kushner to attend an update on the assignment plan so that we could answer their questions and provide more information in order to begin their transition as individual board members. The assignment task force was present along with some other senior staff personnel. Over the course of about two hours, we had a meaningful, frank, and sometimes spirited discussion. Our transition plan calls for more information exchange in the coming weeks leading up to their taking office. We have a full agenda and fixed timelines, making it vital that we share as much information as early as possible so that we can remain firmly focused on students and parents. Thx, Tony."

Wake County Republican Party Chairwoman Susan Bryant is citing a testimonial in support of neighborhood schools to motivate her members heading into the school board runoff election.

In the latest issue of the Elephant Express today, Bryant says she's sharing a letter she received from a fellow Wake County Republican. The letter writers talks about loving walking to his neighborhood schools as a child.

Now years later, he writes that "my wife and I quickly learned that they would never have the same great experience we had." He complains about reassignment, the possibility of being "bused somewhere across town to an area we would never know."

"On the news, we watched Kevin Hill vote against the new plan, and our right to choose our neighborhood school and that angered us," according to the letter writer. "Even the two Democrats not running for office this time voted for the plan. We cannot let this stand. We will be supporting Heather Losurdo for District 3. Please hear us.”

Wake County Republican Party Chairwoman Susan Bryant is attributing last week's school board election results to "President Obama’s national organization" while also trying to rally people around Heather Losurdo's runoff efforts.

In the first post-election issue of the Elephant Express, Bryant writes today that "President Obama, Governor Perdue, and Reverend Barber won last week." She charges that the various Democratic-leaning groups that sent out mailers attacking Losurdo and school board chairman Ron Margiotta are linked to Obama.

"Make no mistake!" Bryant writes. "President Obama’s national organization was very much involved in the recent elections, with particular emphasis on Ron Margiotta’s and Heather Losurdo’s campaigns. They hired 'volunteers' and spent tens of thousands on mailers cleverly disguised as coming from non-related groups.

Look for a battle over the next month to influence voters in Wake County's school board District 3 runoff election.

But as noted in today's article, you've got some questions in the meantime. One, should Heather Losurdo ask for a runoff? Two, would it have made a difference if the Wake County Republican Party had backed Jennifer Mansfield instead of Losurdo to run against Kevin Hill?

On the first question, it's not a surprise that Democrats say they'd hope Losurdo would refrain from asking for the runoff.

CORRECTION

The high-end estimate for a runoff is $150,000.

If Democrats sweep the five Wake County school board seats to retake the majority today, it would arguably be due to the efforts of the 501 and 527 groups to link the Republicans to the Tea Party.

A steady stream of mailers, websites and skunk-wearing mascots from these Democrat-leaning groups has been pushing the message of a "Tea Party takeover of Wake County Schools." Democrats insist it's a powerful message while Republicans say the fears about the Tea Party are overblown.

"I'm confident that the average resident of Wake County has a negative view of the Tea Party in the United States," said Mack Paul, chairman of the Wake County Democratic Party.

Who will win the ground game today getting voters to the polls for the Wake County school board elections?

As noted in today's article, both political parties and a number of left-leaning and right-leaning groups have been trying to turn out the vote. In this off-year election, something as low as a 20 percent turnout would be really high.

Mack Paul, chairman of the Wake County Democratic Party, said they're close to their goal of raising $85,000 as part of their coordinated campaign to turn out the vote and retake the school board. He said the money has allowed them to hire paid campaign staff and open field offices.

The Wake County Republican Party is promoting reductions in transportation costs and decreases in student suspension rates and school violence to encourage supporters heading into Tuesday's school board election.

In the election edition of The Elephant Express on Wednesday, Wake GOP Chairwoman Susan Bryant credits the school board majority's elimination of the diversity policy for a $7.3 million reduction in transportation costs over the past two years.

Bryant also points to a 43 percent reduction in long-term suspensions, a 16 percent drop in short-term suspensions and a 54 percent drop in school crime figures.

The Wake County Republican Party is trumpeting in this new radio campaign ad the school system's high average SAT score and improving graduation rate to say the school board majority has been a "spectacular success."

It's part of a theme being used by members of the Wake County school board majority and their supporters heading into the election next week. The Wake County Democratic Party is objecting, such as in this blog post last week from former Deputy State Schools Superintendent J.B. Buxton accusing the Republicans of taking credit for efforts begun by prior boards.

Here's the text for the radio ad:

The Wake County Republican Party is taking a blame the media strategy to energize their base for the upcoming school board elections.

In this week's issue of the Elephant Express, Wake GOP Chairwoman Susan Bryant contends today that the news media is being "dishonest" in not covering the school board's accomplishments. For instance, she contends that a recent article didn't report that Wake County's average SAT scores are above the national average because "the N&O simply wasn't about to print anything that might reflect positively on the job the Wake County School Board was doing."

That story focused on how the state was doing on the SAT. It didn't mention Wake's performance or that of any area district. It also didn't mention that Chapel Hill-Carrboro has an even high score.

The Wake County Republican Party is calling votes for Democratic-backed school board candidates support for "the failed policies and programs of the past."

Today in the latest issue of The Elephant Express, Wake GOP Chairwoman Susan Bryant pushes heavily on the diversity issue as being a difference between the Wake County school board candidates backed by both political parties.

"The only certainty a parent has that their child won’t attend 3 schools in 5 years will come by not going back to the policies of the old board!" Bryant writes. "Let’s just call it like it was. These people (Democrats), who claim to be concerned for the students, were trying to bus children all across the county to balance out the family incomes of the children attending any one school."