If actions have consequences, the consequences for speaking out in favor of the diversity policy could be costly for one local law firm.

It didn't escape the attention of the new school board majority that prominent local attorney Wade Smith was one of the speakers at the Oct. 5 Friends of Diversity press conference. Smith had helped push the 1976 merger through when he was in the General Assembly.

One potential response by the new board majority is to drop the firm that Smith helped found, Tharrington Smith, as the school district's attorney.

UPDATE

Ann Majestic says Smith never agreed to attend the Friends of Diversity press conference and did not attend. His name was on the list of speakers put out by the event's organizer, Keith Sutton.

Smith had talked about the importance of the diversity policy in an article that ran the Sunday before the election.

The school poverty gap between Wake and Charlotte now stands at 20 percent.

As noted in today's Charlotte Observer, Charlotte-Mecklenburg's percentage of students receiving federally subsidized lunches this school year is at an all-time high of 51 percent. In Wake, the percentage of 31.2 percent is also an all-time high.

Supporters of Wake's diversity policy warn that abandoning it could hasten white flight and produce Charlotte-like poverty numbers at more schools. But critics of the diversity policy note how Charlotte is outperforming Wake among low-income students on state tests.

The outgoing school board members left without throwing any real verbal bombs today as they were showered with awards and praise.

The outgoing board members spent much of their final comments thanking their families and school administrators. They also stood behind the decisions they made.

"Parents haven’t really liked what was done," said school board vice chairman Horace Tart. "But we always did what we did with the children in mind. That was the big picture."

The question seems to be how much change is coming to the magnet program and how soon.

As noted in today's article by Thomas Goldsmith, the new board majority says it will keep the magnet program but will likely make changes as part of a review. One potential change would be the easing of rules that now say that only magnet schools can offer certain courses and electives.

Changes that, for instance, would let schools in western Wake or North Raleigh offer more magnet-like programs would be welcomed by some parents.

"We don't want the whipped cream — give us the crumbs," said school board member Ron Margiotta.

Will the election of a new Wake school board majority that opposes the current diversity policy help Durham?

That's the viewpoint articulated Wednesday on the Bull City Rising blog by Kevin Davis. His take on the election results is that neighborhood schools will make western Wake even wealthier, which in turn will make Research Triangle Park even more relevant.

Considering how much supporters of the diversity policy made Charlotte-Meckkenburg schools a boogeyman during the school board campaign, the new board members arguably are having the last laugh now.

As noted in today's article, the new 2009 state report cards show that Charlotte's black and low-income students are outperforming their peers in Wake on state EOG and EOC exams.

"We're not saying that Charlotte is the right way, but the fact that they're doing better than us shows how poorly we've been doing," said new school board member John Tedesco in the article.

What do the Wake school board elections, Maine's repeal of the same-sex marriage law and the election of Republican governors in Virginia and New Jersey all have in common?

According to state Rep. Paul Stam, they're a sign "voters are squarely focused on core issues affecting their family and their future more than at any time in recent history." The Apex Republican and House Minority Leader linked all these election happenings in the latest blog post on his web site.

As voters continue to cast their ballots in the District 2 runoff, the state NAACP is sending a message it won't be going away after Election Day.

In a statement sent this afternoon, the Rev. William Barber, the head of the state NAACP, said they don't see the runoff as an "end all." Barber said they'll reviewing the policies of the new school board to see if they lead to resegregation.

Can the Leandro case be used to block any attempt to abandon Wake's diversity policy?

As noted in today's article, the state NAACP is citing Leandro and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 as possible grounds to stall any changes that would be made by the new school board majority.

"We'll look at the policies that are implemented, then monitor new policies to make sure any changes don't violate the federal or state constitutions," said the Rev. William Barber, head of the state NAACP, in the article.

School board candidate Cathy Truitt is trying to position herself as being a hero in the minds of opponents of the diversity policy.

As noted in today's article, Truitt said her announcement over the weekend that she'll served if elected was meant to forestall the possibility of the current school board filling the seat if she got the most votes today.

"I'm ensuring they can't appoint a supporter of forced busing," Truitt said.