Wake County Manager David Cooke is recommending giving less than half of the $8.8 million funding increase requested by the school system.

Cooke's $941.5 million budget presented today would give the Wake County school system $318.3 million, a $3.9 million increase in funding. The school board, working on the budget developed by Superintendent Tony Tata, asked the county for $323.2 million

Cooke's budget would not raise property tax rate. Instead, he'd boost spending by using $22 million in increased revenue in property, sales and other taxes.

The Panther Creek High cheating incident and the school budget proposal dominated much of the discussion today's news conference held by Wake County Superintendent Tony Tata.

Tata said he stands behind how Panther Creek issued short-term suspensions and in-school detentions for the five students who were caught cheating. They were also required to take an alternative exam to see if they knew the material.

Tata was asked how fair it was for Panther Creek to give an alternative exam when some schools would give zeros for cheating. Tata pointed back to the ongoing grading practices review and how principals have autonomy to make decisions within the broad framework of board policy.

SEE UPDATE AT END OF POST

Wake NCAE members plan to show up at today's school board meeting "to emphasize the dire need to invest in one of Wake County’s most valuable assets – public school employees."

NCAE members will wear green during the Wake County school board's public hearing on Superintendent Tony Tata's budget proposal, which calls for a 1 percent pay raise for teachers, a $500 one-time bonus for other employees and a $8.8 million funding increase from county commissioners. It's unclear from the NCAE media advisory whether they're supporting Tata's budget or think he's not asking for enough.

The NCAE media advisory is also pointing the recently released Carolina Issues Poll, where 67 percent of respondents said that teachers deserve more pay.

"Educators are counting on the public’s support as they urge the Wake County School Board and County Commission to invest in WCPSS staff with a raise in supplement pay for teachers and bonuses for all other employees," according to the advisory.

UPDATE

NCAE says it supports Tata's budget proposal. But the group would like a larger pay raise and a larger funding increase from the county.

More to come, but Wake County Superintendent Tony Tata presented a $1.25 billion operating budget today calling for an $8.8 million increase in funding from county commissioners.

Tata is also asking the school board to waive policy to allow him to use $28 million of the district's $34.5 million undesignated fund balance to help balance the budget. Board policy says Wake should only spend half of its rainy-day fund.

Tata said these steps will allow him to make up the $28 million loss in federal money that saved 500 teaching jobs this year. It will also allow Wake to offer teachers a 1-percent raise and a one-time $500 bonus to non-certified staff.

Tata said the budget also includes money to help schools become more attractive that were under chosen in the new student assignment plan.

The budget also calls for no layoffs.

UPDATE

Click here to view the budget proposal. Click here to provide feedback.

Is the Wake Count school system not getting the best bang for the buck by offering higher pay for teachers who have master's degrees or national board certification?

At Tuesday's school board work session, school administrators presented data showing the majority of Wake's high-performing teachers don't have either a master's degree or national board certification.

"An important point is we pay extra for the board-certified teachers and the advanced-degree teachers receive extra but the high-performing teachers receive nothing," said Superintendent Tony Tata.

SEE UPDATE AT END OF POST

There's some good news, bad news and some assumptions being made in the new 2011-12 budget proposed today by Wake County Schools Superintendent Tony Tata.

Starting with the good news, Tata said his focus was to develop a budget that protects teachers and the classroom while setting conditions to make schools in high demand.

In terms of protecting teachers and the classrooms:

Here's some more details about the Renaissance Model being used to turn around the Wake County school system's four lowest performing elementary schools.

The quick description is that additional resources, including new technology, signing bonuses and performance bonuses, will be used at Barwell Road, Brentwood, Creech Road and Wilburn elementary schools. All four schools happen to have high poverty levels but they were chosen because their passing rates were below 60 percent on state exams last year.

The issue has gotten more attention this week because the school board voted Tuesday on a $950,000 a year bonus plan for the schools using federal Race to the Top money.

Today's Wake County school board meeting will be long and touch on a variety of topics, including reassignment, bonuses to work at high-poverty schools, redistricting, bell schedules and the magnet review.

The school board will vote today on the last three potential changes to the 2011-12 student reassignment plan, including moving school board member John Tedesco's neighborhood from Creech Road Elementary to Aversboro Elementary. The plan calls for splitting off the part of the node that includes his subdivision to go to Aversboro.

Also as noted in today's article by Thomas Goldsmith, the board will vote on setting aside $950,000 in Race to the Top grant money to provide signing bonuses and merit pay to teachers who will work at the four Renaissance schools: Barwell Road, Brentwood Road, Creech Road and Wilburn elementary schools.

Wake County Commissioner candidate Jack Nichols is making a direct effort to link incumbent Paul Coble to the student assignment controversy on the school board.

In this new campaign mailer, Nichols calls Coble, the GOP candidate, "Commissioner NO!" One example he cites is on education.

Nichols, the Democrat, says Coble "supports School Board's rash approach to student assignment and opposes impact fees on new growth to pay for school construction so property taxes can be kept in existing classrooms."

Both Wake County Commissioner Paul Coble and challenger Jack Nichols are talking about education in their campaign material.

In a television ad, Coble, a Republican, introduces himself and says "we all want our tax dollars spent wisely to strengthen the economy and create new jobs." He adds that "I've stopped over $40 million of wasteful spending and reinvested it in our schools to make them stronger."

In this campaign mailer, Nichols, a Democrat, asks "what's going on with education in Wake County?" He says he'll "restore sanity and civility." He promotes a "third way."

UPDATED WITH COLOR VERSION OF NICHOLS' MAILER

Here's the text of Coble's other TV ad:

"I'm Paul Coble. My daughters got a great education in the Wake County school system. In tough times I've worked hard to make sure our schools were a top priority and pass a budget that will help keep our schools strong. I'm Paul Coble."