For those who read BiggerPicture4Wake's press release, here's a different perspective on the calendar conversions from Concerned and Committed Leesville Parents.

In a press release today, CCLP says the return of Leesville Road elementary and middle schools to a traditional calendar means "families can finally breathe a sigh of relief that they will once again have unity in their community." CCLP says the year-round conversions "have proven to be extremely destructive and divisive to the close-knit Leesville community."

While BiggerPicture had blasted school board member Deborah Prickett, CCLP praises her for her role in pushing for the conversion back to a traditional calendar.

BiggerPicture4Wake is calling last week's vote to convert Leesville Road elementary and middle schools back to a traditional calendar the Wake County school board majority's "third strike."

In a press release Monday, BiggerPicture says the first two strikes were eliminating the weekly Wednesday early dismissals and abandoning the Forest Ridge High site. The group says that the board majority is fulfilling campaign promises but ignoring data with decisions like abandoning the year-round calendar at Leesville.

"Now, the public needs to call them out to avoid further damage to Wake’s school system,” said Rhonda Curtright, BiggerPicture co-founder, in the press release.

There's going to be a vote this afternoon on converting Leesville Road elementary and middle schools and Mills Park Elementary to a traditional calendar while opening Mills Park Middle on that same calendar.

The Wake County board agreed during this afternoon's committee of the whole meeting to go ahead with votes at the regular meeting on those four schools. While the COW votes were only on putting the schools on the action agenda, it's a good be that they'll be approved as well at the regular meeting.

The board appeared to be willing to defer to the wishes of individual members.

UPDATE

The school board approved the four calendar conversions.

Four year-round schools have made the list that Wake County school administrators will present to the school board on Tuesday for consideration for conversion to a traditional calendar.

The schools are Wakefield Elementary, Leesville Road Middle, Salem Middle and Mills Park Middle. Leesville Road Elementary is not in the group.

Administrators are stressing that they're not recommending that those four schools be converted. They're just saying they're the ones they think the board may want to consider, not that it will stop Deborah Prickett from proposing Leesville Elementary as well.

Wednesday's Wake County school board policy committee discussion had a lot of emotion and some colorful statements.

As noted in today's article, the committee rejected proposed student assignment policy changes that would eliminate all references to diversity in favor of making neighborhood schools a priority. The action came after a good deal of discussion on the role of diversity in student assignment.

It culminated in committee chairwoman Debra Goldman getting applause from the crowd, which had several members of the Great Schools in Wake Coalition, after she didn't second the motion to recommend the changes.

Here's a quick recap of the highlights of today's Wake County school board policy committee discussion.

New school board member Chris Malone didn't get a second for his motion to recommend approval of changes to the student assignment policy that would eliminate all references to diversity while making neighborhood schools a priority.

Debra Goldman, chairwoman of the committee, was again the swing vote. She said she coudln't second the motion because there needs to be more discussion about the policy before they make a recommendation.

SEE END OF POST FOR SUTTON'S COMPROMISE POLICY. CORRECTED TO REFLECT THAT POLICY DIDN'T PASS BECAUSE OF A LACK OF A SECOND

Most speakers actually talked about year-round schools at Tuesday night's hearing at Leesville Road High School on school calendars.

As noted in today's article, the year-round calendars at Leesville Road elementary and middle schools dominated much of the discussion. It's a departure from the first three CEM meetings in which turnout was light and neighborhood schools and the diversity policy were discussed more than the calendar.

Both sides of the Leesville fight turned out in large numbers. They tried to out cheer each other when one of their speakers finished talking.

Carol Love is waging a one-woman battle against the new Wake County school board majority.

Love has created an online petition called "Stop Wake County School Board Bullies" in which she expresses "a no confidence" vote in and demand for censure, resignation, and/or recall" of the new members. Many of the same concerns are raised in a complaint she says she filed with N.C. School Boards Association and the Wake school board.

"While some of us agree with one or more of the policy positions of these aforementioned members, we object to the MANNER in which they conduct themselves--which is akin to schoolyard BULLIES," according to the petition.

It would be an understatement to say that relations are strained between the new Wake County school board majority and the Wake Education Partnership.

As noted in today's article, school board members are questioning such recent WEP publications as the school assignment analysis and the assessment of Del Burns' resignation as superintendent. It's a departure from when the WEP worked closely with the old school board majority.

“They seem to be going against everything we want to do," said school board member Deborah Prickett. "I feel like a salmon swimming upstream against them.”

New Wake County school board member Deborah Prickett no longer is worried about telling the world that she’s a Republican.

Prickett had been a registered Republican before changing her party status to unaffiliated in November 2007. She said Wednesday she made the change because she felt was it was the “wise decision” to make before starting a new job at the state Department of Public Instruction.

Prickett wouldn't be the first state employee who has felt uncomfortable about being a registered Republican.