The prospect of a 2009 bond issue is getting less likely as the financial news gets grimmer each day.

As noted in today's article by Michael Biesecker, county commissioners and school board members got a whole lot of bad economic news at Wednesday's joint meeting. The county's inability to sell $370 million worth of school bonds makes another big 2009 bond issue a hard sell.

“There’s no market for long-term debt, at least not under terms we’re willing to pay,” said County Manager David Cooke in the article.

The school board isn't the only group in the mood to reconsider things.

County Commissioner Lindy Brown said today she's reconsidering her vote against buying an 80-acre parcel off Forestville Road north of Raleigh for a new high school. She said she'll ask commissioners to now support the deal after getting new information at today's joint meeting.

School board members and administrators made a pitch for the commissioners to reconsider last month's 4-3 vote. School leaders cited a new lower price for the land, the unsuitability of alternative sites and the impact on student assignment.

Click here for the online story.

Today's joint meeting of the school board and county commissioners could be friendly or heated depending on how things turn out.

They probably won't be too ornery when talking about the school district's use of "green" schools.

It could get less friendly when school administrators make a presentation about why they need commissioners to approve the purchase of land for a new high school in northeastern Wake. Commissioners have refused to approve the deal because of the cost of clearing the rocky parcel.

It's looking like county commissioners had a pretty good reason to question enrollment projections for the school district.

As noted in today's article, it's not looking good that the school district will get the $3 million that commissioners withheld this year. Commissioners provided $316.2 million, with another $3 million in a reserve fund if enrollment met projections.

"The expectation is they'll get the $316 million, not the $319 million due to the slower growth," said Joe Bryan, chairman of he board of commissioners.

It's not like it should be a real surprise, but the county commissioners have publicly acknowledged that the Wake Ed Partnership/Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce funding proposal is pretty much dead.

As noted in today's article by Michael Biesecker, commissioners said yesterday that they doubted an accord could be reached. The school board had proposed a big boost in funding to raise the high school graduation rate.

Commissioners balked at the huge price tag on Monday.

Aside from today's flap over sales tax reimbursement, a big chunk of the joint meeting was a Student Assignment 101 lesson for county commissioners.

Chuck Dulaney, assistant superintendent for growth and planning, told commissioners that student assignment was "perhaps the most overwhelming statutory authority that school districts have." He said it's difficult trying to balance all the different goals in the assignment policy.

"Providing as much stability as possible is good, but that's not easy," Dulaney said.

This could either turn out be a fairly perfunctory or pretty bloody discussion topic today.

During today's joint meeting of the school board and county commissioners, school staff will review the student assignment policy. (Click for the policy and the R&P that lays out the implementation.)

Some commissioners have been vocal about their criticism of the district's assignment policy.

Does the school board owe it to Rolesvile to name a new middle school after the town?

As noted in today's North Raleigh News article, Rolesville town leaders have urged the school board to use "Rolesville MIddle School" for the site on Burlington Mills Road. County commissioners have credited Rolesville leaders with helping acquire the property.

"They need to work with us in the naming of schools," Eagles said in today's article. "It's the people's schools, not the school board's schools."

County commissioners have shot down another land deal for a new school.

As noted in today's article by Michael Biesecker, commissioners voted 4-3 on Monday to turn down a $5.1 million high school and elementary school site north of Raleigh. A majority of the commissioners were unhappy about the estimated $2 million added cost for clearing the rocky land.

"Other than the Hope Diamond, I don't know many people who are going to pay that much for a rock," said Commissioner Paul Coble in the article.

This could be the next flashpoint in the ongoing fight between the school board and county commissioners.

As noted in today's North Raleigh News article by Michael Biesecker, some commissioners are not happy with the school district's request to buy 89 acres off Forestville Road for a new high school. They're not happy with the $5.1 million asking price, especially when it could cost another $2 million to clear the rocky site.

"We aren't buying the best land in Wake County," said Joe Bryan, chairman of the board of commissioners. "We seem to be buying some of the toughest land — in a recession."

But Betty Parker. the school district's director of real estate services, told commissioners the property was still the best land available for the money.