Common Sense Matters asks voters to "stand up to (Wake County school board candidate) Heather Losurdo and the Tea Party agenda" in this campaign mailer sent last week.

The mailer says "On November 8, stop the Tea Party takeover by stopping Heather Losurdo." The mailer accuses Losurdo of being "backed by Tea party radicals" and charges that "the Board's right-wing agenda has been devastating."

"Hoe much more damage will the Tea Party do to our schools if Heather Losurdo wins on November 8?" says the mailer, which is part of the strategy promoted by Democratic activist Dean Debnam to use an anti-Tea Party message to defeat Republican candidates

The mailer is one in a series sent by Common Sense Matters, which is affiliated with local Democrats. One of the donors is the N.C. Futures Action Fund, a group led by Debnam.

Common Sense Matters says that Wake County school board member Kevin Hill "will stop the Tea Party Agenda" in this campaign mailer sent last week.

The mailer says "The Tea Party is now one vote away from taking over our schools." It says "we can stop the Tea Party takeover" and "vote November 8."

The mailer charges that "if Heather Losurdo wins, the Tea Party will control our schools." It also charges that "Wake County school board candidate Heather Losurdo is backed by Tea Party radicals with a right-wing agenda that is hurting our schools."

The mailer is one in a series sent by Common Sense Matters, which is affiliated with local Democrats. One of the donors is the N.C. Futures Action Fund, the group led by Democratic activist Dean Debnam.

The Great Schools in Wake Coalition is officially stepping into the Wake County school board elections with this campaign mailer that was sent this week urging people to vote in the runoff contest.

The mailer says "Do this one thing for all our children...vote in the runoff election for the District 3 school board seat!" In addition to GSIW, the mailer's other sponsors include a pair of liberal groups in Common Cause NC and the N.C. A Philip Randolph Institute, which is an arm of the AFL-CIO.

The mailer doesn't tell you who to vote for because GSIW isn't officially allowed to give endorsements. But a number of GSIW members have individually worked for and donated money to the campaigns for the Democratic school board candidates.

Additionally, the mailer points voters to WakeElections.com. As previously reported by the Civitas Review, the weblog of the conservative Civitas Institute, that website was set up by a number of liberal/left-leaning advocacy groups.

Wake County school board member Kevin Hill says "we need an experienced educator focused on student achievement" in this campaign mailer sent last week.

In the mailer, Hill says "it's time to move forward." Just below those words are a picture of a young boy setting the time on a clock.

The mailer lists Hill's education and board experience. It says he supports "ensuring stability: once in a school, a child finishes at that school," "expanding academic opportunities," "protecting school accreditation," "maximizing school utilization" and "keeping money in the classroom."

"As we move forward and address the challenges of growth, we must keep what has made Wake County such a desirable place to live," the mailer says. "Kevin has always put students first — he understands that we get one chance to get it right for every child."

Wake County school board candidate Heather Losurdo charges in this campaign mailer that a victory by incumbent Kevin Hill means children could be "bused next year" if they don't "perform well on an important test."

In the mailer, Losurdo points to her support for the new student assignment plan and Hill's no vote on it because of the lack of seat set-asides at high-performing schools for students from low-performing areas.

The mailer says that Hill "just can't get past the idea of quotas, in spite of all the research that shows it doesn't do the students from 'lower-performing districts any good whatsoever."

"Hill now wants to bus students based on their test scores," the mailer says. "If he has his way, you'd better hope your child performs well on an important test, or she could find herself bused next year. Hill wants to balance performance, not raise it. That's not only going backwards, it's going down."

Wake County school board candidate Heather Losurdo says in this campaign mailer that a victory by incumbent Kevin Hill will take away the "new day for Wake County Schools."

In the mailer, Losurdo says "the long night of turmoil for Wake County schools is ending" with the bi-partisan adoption of the new student assignment plan. She charges that the momentum is at risk with the newly elected school board members having asked for a delay in the vote on the plan.

"Kevin Hill voted 'no,'" the mailer says. "As the leading proponent of forced busing in Wake County, he still wants to go back to the old plan that started all the turmoil in the first place.

The only way that we can keep the momentum for reform, get past all the bickering and bring parents, teachers and the greater Wake County community together on behalf of our kids and our future is to replace Hill with Heather Losurdo in the runoff election on November 8."

This is the "stonewall" campaign mailer from Wake County school board candidate Heather Losurdo that has generated some controversy in District 3.

The mailer says that incumbent school board member "Kevin Hill says he will 'Stonewall' Concerned Parents." She got the year wrong in the mailer but it references a March 30, 2010 email that was released last year by the Bedford Homeowners Association.

"Some 300 Bedford area parents signed a petition to the School Board asking to be heard about the reassignment of their children from nearby Wakefield High School to Heritage High," says the mailer. "Kevin Hill refused to meet with us and emailed the principal at Heritage that he intended to 'stonewall' them and their petition. Heather Lousrdo will listen to her constituents and advocate for their needs. Is that any way for a Representative to treat his constituents?"

Let's start the day of campaign mailers with this piece from Wake County school board candidate Heather Losurdo that charges "7,000 children will be ripped out of neighborhood schools if Kevin Hill has his way."

In the mailer, Losurdo says the good news from the school board is that they "voted Tuesday, September 18 (it was actually Oct. 18) to throw out the old school busing plan and put in the Neighborhood Schools plan developed by Superintendent Tony Tata." She notes that two Democrats voted for the plan.

Losurdo says the bad news is that Hill voted against the plan. She charges "he wants to keep the wheels on the buses turning round and round."

Progress NC Action still insists that Wake County school board candidate Heather Losurdo hasn't proven that she was an account manager overseeing more than $2 billion worth of small business loans in the Carolinas for First Union Bank.

In a press release this evening, the liberal advocacy group notes that Losurdo's newly released employment records list her job title as small business banking division risk management servicing specialist. Progress NC Action says that shows she had an administrative and not managerial job.

Donald Senior, Losurdo's former supervisor at First Union, said Losurdo could have been considered an account manager.

Wake County school board candidate Heather Losurdo provided proof this evening to back up statements on her website that she had overseen $2 billion in small business loans for First Union Bank in the late 1990s.

Progress NC Action, a liberal advocacy group, had accused Losurdo of embellishing her resume, questioning how a person with no college degree and a personal bankruptcy could have that level of responsibility. At a press conference today, Losurdo said that she had gotten in contact with Donald Senior, her supervisor at First Union, to show her statements were correct.

Losurdo also presented statements that she said Senior had made today to a television reporter substantiating her duties at First Union.

SEE UPDATE AT END OF POST