I'll have more on this later, but Wake County school officials have released today their progress report to AdvancED.

Click here for a page with links to the progress report, executive summary, supporting evidence and interview schedule. Wake prepared the data ahead of the AdvancED return visit on Nov. 29-30.

The goal is to get AdvancED to keep Wake's high schools accredited.

Click here for the original AdvancED report.

In somewhat election-related news, AdvancED will be back in town at the end of the month to assess how well the Wake County school system is doing with the issues the accreditation organization announced in March.

In the March report, AdvancED criticized the school board's governance and put the high schools on accreditation warned status. AdvancED identified seven action steps in its report and gave Wake a year to address the issues.

Ann Majestic, the school board's attorney, said a review team from AdvancED will return on Nov. 29-30 to see what's happened in the past six months. Superintendent Tony Tata has said they're seeking to fully comply with AdvancED's requested changes.

Common Sense Matters accuses Wake County school board candidate Heather Losurdo of being a "Tea Party extremist" who "has a radical agenda for our schools" in this campaign mailer sent last week.

"Right now, the Wake County school board is just one vote away from being controlled by Tea Party candidates," says the mailer. "If Heather Losurdo wins in the November 8 runoff election, then the Tea Party wins too.

That's because Losurdo is running to continue the same radical agenda that has endangered our schools accreditation and threatened $80 million in school funding. If Heather Losurdo gives the Tea Party total control of Wake County's schools, the results will be devastating."

The mailer is one in a series sent by Common Sense Matters, which is affiliated with local Democrats. One of the donors is the N.C. Futures Action Fund, a group led by Democratic activist Dean Debnam.

Wake County school board member Kevin Hill says "we need an experienced educator focused on student achievement" in this campaign mailer sent last week.

In the mailer, Hill says "it's time to move forward." Just below those words are a picture of a young boy setting the time on a clock.

The mailer lists Hill's education and board experience. It says he supports "ensuring stability: once in a school, a child finishes at that school," "expanding academic opportunities," "protecting school accreditation," "maximizing school utilization" and "keeping money in the classroom."

"As we move forward and address the challenges of growth, we must keep what has made Wake County such a desirable place to live," the mailer says. "Kevin has always put students first — he understands that we get one chance to get it right for every child."

Wake County school board member Kevin Hill is continuing to criticize school board chairman Ron Margiotta in this new campaign mailer.

In the mailer, Hill gives himself an A grade while giving an F grade for "Ron Margiotta Failed Leadership." Hill, running in District 3, is using mailers with similar themes as those Susan Evans is using against Margiotta in District 8, such as her mailer grading the board chairman.

In Hill's piece, he says Margiotta's "failed leadership" includes things such as "jeopardized high schools accreditation," "belittled professional development and undermined teacher confidence" and "opened Wake's first high poverty school that costs taxpayers more money."

In contrast, Hill says his record includes things such as "challenge every student at every school to strive for high achievement," "successfully fought to protect high schools accreditation" and "values the hiring, development and retention of outstanding teachers."

Critics of the Republican candidates for Wake County school board are getting literary in this new campaign mailer.

The piece from N.C. Citizens for Protecting Our Schools invokes the "mad" tea party scene from "Alice in Wonderland" to charge that the Tea Party is trying to take over Wake County schools. The cover has a drawing of Alice and uses the quote from the 1951 movie version about it being "the stupidest tea party I've ever been to in all my life."  

"The Tea Party takeover of Wake County schools is no fairy tale — it's a real threat to our children's future," says the mailer.

Like the other pieces from these various Democrat-leaning groups, the mailer charges that "radical tea party school board members" have put accreditation at risk and could cost the district $80 million in funding.

This new campaign mailer from Wake County school board candidate Susan Evans should look familiar as it mirrors the recent one from board member Kevin Hill.

Beside an image of school board chairman Ron Margiotta, the mailer says "Our Children, Our Teachers, Our Economy, Our Community Cannot Afford Ron Margiotta's Failed Leadership."

The mailer gives Margiotta an F grade for his "record of failed leadership." Examples cited include "promised stability, but created community chaos," "treated fellow Board Members and citizens with disrespect," "damaged our national reputation," "supported decisions that cost taxpayers more money" and "recklessly risked High Schools' accreditation."

"We needed change, just not this kind of change," Evans says in the mailer. "I pledge to always put students first, listen respectfully, and be a rational voice for Southwest Wake County."

You might be wondering who exactly Wake County school board member Kevin Hill is running against in District 3 based on this new campaign mailer.

In the mailer, Hill says he's "not a rubber stamp for Ron Margiotta," with the words appearing over an image of the school board chairman from District 8. It's a shot at District 3 opponent Heather Losurdo, who critics have charged will be a rubber stamp for the board majority.

Hill gives himself an A+ grade on a report card, saying his "principled leadership makes the grade." Among the list of items, Hill says he "stood up for students first, not a political agenda," has been a "voice of reason in the midst of chaos and confusion," "successfully fought to keep our high schools accredited" and "worked to reduce wasteful spending and get more resources in the classroom."

"My top priority is challenging every student at every school in our system," Hill says in the mailer. "Their future and our community's economic health are more important than any political agenda."

Wake County school board candidate Susan Evans is going after board chairman Ron Margiotta for his remarks about accreditation at Tuesday's District 8 forum.

In a press release today, Evans says she "was deeply troubled" that "Margiotta told the audience that 'there have been no problems' with accreditation." She cites Margiotta's initial confrontational approach with AdvancED's investigation, the criticism of the board's governance cited in the organization's report and how the high schools have been put on accreditation-warned status.

“Those of us who care about our students place a great value on high school accreditation," Evans said in the press release. "Sadly, our students, teachers, and families have been put at risk of being penalized not because of anything they did, but because of the actions Ron Margiotta and the current Board majority. He is supposed to be providing leadership, but instead he’s been playing divisive political games."

During the forum, Margiotta said Wake's high schools never reached the point where they lost accreditation. Based on how five high schools were reaccredited two years ago, the quality of the programs and the teachers, he said "I don’t anticipate us ever having any problems with accreditation."

The Wake County Democratic Party is going after school board chairman Ron Margiotta's recent campaign mailer, saying it doesn't reflect the incumbent's "real record."

In a press release Tuesday, Wake Democratic Party Chairman Mack Paul said Margiotta's "real record of achievement is far different." Paul accused Margiotta of putting high school accreditation and federal funding at risk, insulting parents, violating the Open Meetings Law and making Wake a "national punch line" on the Colbert Report.
 
"Ron Margiotta left off some key parts of his record, including the poor leadership that threatened accreditation for our high schools," Paul said in the press release. "He also left off his 'success' at putting our federal funding at risk in his single minded pursuit of creating high poverty schools.

Any success we have had has been as a result of hard working teachers and our students. Many of the results that he trumpets came as a result of policies and work that happened prior to him taking a leadership role on the Board."