One question for the new Democratic majority on the Wake County school board will be what to do with the vice chair's position on Dec. 6.

The board will have to pick a new chair because Ron Margiotta was defeated last month. But the board doesn't have to replace John Tedesco as vice chairman because his one-year term runs until June.

The board could vote Dec. 6 to replace Tedesco. Or the new majority could take no action on the vice chair's position to allow Tedesco to finish out the term.

Is this finally the time that the Wake County school system will beef up its vocational education programs?

As noted in today's article, the $130.3 million capital program the school board will vote on today includes exploring the feasibility of establishing a career and technical education school for 2013.

Just about every school board election cycle, this one included, sees various candidates talk about setting up vocational schools for students who don't plan on going to college.

Record amounts of campaign cash are already flowing into the Wake County school board races with a month of fundraising still to go.

As noted in today's article, the individual candidates have raised a record total of more than $238,000 so far. That's more than the $167,000 raised by candidates in 2007 and the $155,000 raised in 2009.

With the political parties and political action committees also actively raising cash, it's likely this year's final total will exceed the more than $340,000 in overall school board election money raised in 2009.

The race for District 3 on the Wake County school board has gotten potentially trickier for those who want to elect a neighborhood schools supporter.

Jennifer Mansfield, a leader of the Wake Schools Community Alliance, announced today that she will seek the District 3 seat now held by board member Kevin Hill. Heather Losurdo, past president of the Northern Wake Republican Club, has already announced her candidacy.

Both women could split the support of those who want to oust Hill, who hasn't formally announced his candidacy but has formed a campaign committee.

SEE UPDATE AT END OF POST FOR REACTION FROM HILL AND LOSURDO

One question today is how much support will Anthony Tata get from the school board in being selected as Wake County's new superintendent.

It's likely Tata will get the support of all the Republican board members. Board vice chairwoman Debra Goldman has broken ranks at times but she's also the head of the search committee that recommended Tata.

Will any of the Democratic board members, who had all opposed efforts to let non-educators hold the job, vote for Tata? And what message will it send if the vote is divided?

UPDATE

The board is back after a 31-minute closed session. Keith Sutton is also not here so seven members are present.

Sutton, in an e-mail message, said he wasn't here because of the lack of ample notice about the meeting. The same reason was given by Anne McLaurin, who has medical duties today, why she couldn't attend.

The meeting was scheduled on Tuesday.

Even though Hill and Morrison voted against Tata, they said they'll throw 100 percent support behind him now that he's superintendent.

You can credit Wake County school board vice chairwoman Debra Goldman for there not being a school board meeting today.

The board traditionally meets on the first and third Tuesdays of the month. But at Goldman's request, the board agreed to reschedule the Nov. 2 meeting to next Tuesday.

"I have other things that I like to do on Election Day such as vote, work at the polls, a few different things," Goldman said at the June 15 committee of the whole meeting. "We have quite a few board members who are very active so I can tell you right now I won't be here at that meeting."

Wake County school board member John Tedesco is potentially walking into a hostile crowd this evening.

Tedesco will be a guest speaker at tonight's meeting of the Raleigh-Wake Citizens Association. While RWCA President Dan Coleman has been supportive of Tedesco and critical of the old diversity policy, you can't necessarily say the same for the membership, which had endorsed Horace Tart last fall.

Tedesco will discuss the work of the student assignment committee and the economically disadvantaged student performance task force. He'll be joined  by the other guest speaker, school board member Keith Sutton, who will give his observations on Tedesco's remarks.

UPDATE

I'll post more in the morning. But in short, Coleman and Tedesco were both verbally beaten up by a largely hostile crowd.

By the end of Tuesday, the Wake County school board could oust Supt. Del Burns, approve a resolution calling for community-based school assignments, approve calendar conversions and name the Civitas Institute as a provider for board member training.

As noted in today's article, Tuesday is looking to be a long day for the school board. One definite hot topic is the resolution establishing a board directive for community-based school assignments.

You can essentially view it as the blueprint for the direction the new board majority wants to take.

Look for another "editorial message" on school diversity to appear on WRAL soon.

As noted in today's article, Capitol Broadcasting began airing a television spot on Wednesday featuring high school students that touts why diversity matters in the Wake County school system. Jim Goodmon, the company's CEO, said soon will come a second spot with teachers discussing the value of diversity.

Despite the timing, Goodmon said he's not using the TV spots, called editorial messages, to lobby for keeping the current diversity policy. He said they're just a statement on the principle of diversity.

Wake County school board candidates Deborah Prickett and Horace Tart are the first ones to file their year-end campaign finance reports.

Tart's final report shows he spent $12,306.98 during his unsuccessful bid for a second term on the board. Toward the end of the campaign, he got $150 from school board member Anne McLaurin and $150 from former Raleigh Mayor Smedes York.

The report shows Tart paid $700 to the Raleigh-Wake Citizens Association's political action committee to be his poll workers on Election Day.