With no firm date set for the next bond issue, Wake County school administrators want to use their savings to get a head start on some construction projects.

As noted in today's article, administrators want to use most of the $91.3 million in savings from the 2006 bond issue to add more high school seats. But the money could also be used to get work done on the long-discussed middle school near Leesville Church and Strickland roads in northwest Raleigh.

Click here for a handout of the presentation that staff gave the school board last week.

Wake County magnet school supporters are keeping a wary eye on how the program will be impacted by eliminating the long-distance forced busing of thousands of students out of Southeast Raleigh and downtown Raleigh.

As noted in today's article, there's going to be an impact from the school board student assignment committee telling staff to draw up community assignment zones with contiguous boundaries that don't have satellite nodes for diversity.

Questions were raised Tuesday by the community reps from the board minority members about how this change would impact the magnet schools.

SEE UPDATE AT END OF POST

Teacher transfer requests are up this year in the Wake County school system.

There were 1,699 requests for transfers to different schools this fall, up from 1,633 last year. Those are only requests, meaning they weren't necessarily approved. Before a certain date, teachers don't need to get the permission of the principal to request a transfer.

The numbers at individual schools are interesting, especially at some magnet schools. Whether the increase at these schools indicates teachers are wary about potential changes to the magnet program or want out for some other reason is uncertain.

Wake County school board member John Tedesco is keeping busy now that he, temporarily at least, doesn't have an outside job.

In an e-mail message Thursday to other board members, Tedesco said he's visited 21 schools so far with a goal of visiting a third of the district's 157 schools by summer. He said he's accelerating his schedule over the next 90 days to visit 30 more schools.

Tedesco said these visits are providing him important field experience in his roles as chairman of both the student assignment committee and the economically disadvantaged student task force.

Only one new principal appointment tonight.

Camille Hedrick was named principal of Apex Middle School at a salary of $112,286. She replaces Timothy Lee Locklair, who was recently named principal of Holly Springs High.

Hedrick has been an assistant principal at Lufkin Road Middle School since 2006. She's also married to James Hedrick, principal of Green Hope High School.

Since I was out on July 21, I'll also post those principal changes too.

UPDATE: BIO SHEETS AT END OF POST

Congratulations go out to Carol Swink Wooten, a fifth-grade teacher at Hunter Elementary School in Raleigh, who was named one of the top math and science teachers in the nation today.

Wooten was one of 87 winners nationally and two from this state to receive the 2008 Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching. Some educators have called the award, which includes a $10,000 prize, the Nobel Prize of their profession.

The award is the highest recognition that a kindergarten through 12th-grade math or science teacher can receive in the U.S. for outstanding teaching. Recipients are recognized for their contributions to teaching and learning and their ability to help students make pregress in math and science.

New principals have been named tonight for Dillard Drive and Carnage middle schools.

Jacob N. Bryant will become the principal of Dillard Drive Middle in Raleigh, receiving a salary of $87,606. Bryant has been the principal of Jeffreys Grove Elementary School since 2006.

Bryant replaces Teresa Abron, who is retiring. School officials say there’s no connection between her retirement and the December 2007 incident in which Dillard was faulted by federal civil rights officials for holding segregated assemblies for black and Hispanic students after a fight.

SEE END OF POST FOR BIO SHEETS

The potential elimination of the Communities in Schools site coordinator positions took center stage at Tuesday's budget public hearing.

As noted in today's article, more than a dozen speakers urged the school board to find a way to fund those positions, which cost Wake $472,446. They told how the CIS program, through the help of the paid coordinators, is making a difference in the lives of at-risk students.

"With the elimination of the CIS coordinator, I honeslty believe these children will be left behind," Marla Turlington, incoming PTA president at Hunter Elementary School, told the board on Tuesday.

It's will be even tougher getting a slot in some popular magnet schools this year.

As noted in today's article, plans are underway to raise the percentages of low-income students at some magnet schools. It's a two-step approach involving increasing the base by reassigning in more students and restricting the number of magnet applicants who are accepted.

So the acceptance rates should fall at Hunter, Underwood and Wiley elementary schools and Enloe High. It will also get tougher making it into Partnership Elementary, which Asst. Supt. Chuck Dulaney will recommend getting magnet status.