For various reasons, such as slowing growth and tensions with commissioners, it's looking like the Wake County school system will shy away from asking for as much as a $1 billion bond referendum this year.

As noted in today's article, school board chairman Keith Sutton said after Thursday's joint meeting they'll talk with commissioners to work out a compromise for a lower bond total. It will be based on the school district's needs and how much commissioners are willing to raise taxes.

As for the growth projection, there was a lot of speculation about why it has slowed, especially this year. Reasons cited by officials from both boards included the poor economy, problems with the choice plan and bus service and people opting out of the school district.

More time to come later, but the Wake County Commissioners and Wake County school board wrapped up today the first of six planned joint meetings on the next school bond.

Today's meeting ended early. But the agendas for future meetings, which will include discussion of topics such as the calendars for new schools and the dollar amount for the bond, will ensure long discussions.

Today's focus was on reviewing the 2006 bond issue/construction program and enrollment projections. New enrollment projections call for slower growth now with Wake picking up 43,000 more kids by 2022.

Instead of 1,000 students above projection, it turns out the Wake County school system is 910 students below projection this school year.

School communications officials say this year's official enrollment, based off the 20th day of classes last week, is 149,508 students. That's a net gain of 2,821 students from last year's total of 146,687 students.

A gain of more than 2,800 kids is nothing to sneeze about. But keep in mind the official enrollment projection, used in the budget presented to the county, called for 150,418 students this year.

Some potentially big things could happen today in the Wake County school system.

First, you've got people rally who will rally outside this afternoon's school board closed-session meeting because of rumors that Superintendent Tony Tata's job is in jeopardy. The board could take action or just adjourn after the closed session with nothing announced.

The other event today is the 20th-day of traditional-calendar schools. Using today's enrollment, along with earlier Day 20-figures for the modified-calendar schools and the four different year-round tracks, Wake will determine its official enrollment for the school year.

Is it possible that the Wake County school system might not grow as fact as projected this year?

School officials reported today they had 149,528 students on Monday, up 2,841 students from last year's official enrollment. Schools get teachers based on enrollment so Wake will use Monday's total — the 10th day of classes — to decide whether to transfer teachers between schools.

Before the school year started, school officials said that Wake could easily exceed the projected enrollment of 150,418 students by 1,000 or more students.

SEE UPDATE AT END OF POST

The Wake County school system had 147,539 students in class on Tuesday, which school officials say shows the district is on pace to meet or exceed its projected enrollment for this year.

Tuesday's enrollment was 5,161 more students than the 142,378 kids who were in class on day two in the 2011-12 school year. Last year, Wake went on to add 4,309 more students by day 20, which is used to record the official enrollment for the school year.

School officials expect that Wake will exceed its projected enrollment of 150,418 students this school year. If Wake matches last year's growth between day 2 and day 20, Wake could grow by more than 5,000 student this year.

The crowd of people registering at Central Office in Cary has gotten even larger this week.

Wake County's new choice-based student assignment plan is producing some unusual oddities for the 2012-13 school year that opens today with the return of year-round students.

As noted in today's article, Wake has 151,487 students registered for the new school year, 1,000 more than expected. But staff isn't certain how much of that growth is attributable to phantom students who were gaming the choice plan.

Another quirk of the choice plan is that Richland Creek Elementary School only has 34 students registered so far for its Aug. 27 opening. That's far fewer students than it would have opened with under the old base-school assignment plan.

Are you ready for a Wake County school construction bond referendum in May?

The school board's facilities committee recommended today going with a timetable that would have a May 2013 bond referendum instead of an October 2013 referendum. The reason is that school staff says the earlier referendum would let them get money for projects in July 2013 compared to July 2014 if the wait until an October 2013 referendum.

“We can’t afford to fall a year behind on capital projects,” said school board member Jim Martin.

It's back to work planning the next school construction program at today's Wake County school board facilities committee meeting.

The committee will receive information on Wake's technology inventory, school bond planning calendar and larger format circle maps for determining locations for new schools.

The committee will also receive information on student enrollment projections, school capacities, school crowding and the schematic design for Richland Creek Elementary School.

The Wake County Public School System remains one of North Carolina's largest employers even though layoffs are taking a toll on the number of bodies.

In the state's recently released Comprehensive Annual Financial Report for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2011, Wake was ranked the state's ninth-largest employer with between 15,000 and 19,999 employees.

Before the recent layoffs, Wake was listed in the state's 2009 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report as the eighth-largest employer with between 20,000 and 24,999 employees.