What do the Wake school board elections, Maine's repeal of the same-sex marriage law and the election of Republican governors in Virginia and New Jersey all have in common?

According to state Rep. Paul Stam, they're a sign "voters are squarely focused on core issues affecting their family and their future more than at any time in recent history." The Apex Republican and House Minority Leader linked all these election happenings in the latest blog post on his web site.

School board candidate John Tedesco has overtaken Cathy Truitt for the fundraising lead in District 2.

In this campaign report received today, Tedesco reported having raised $20,065.96 as of Oct. 19. Through that same time period, Truitt had reported raising $19,425.31.

Tedesco also has a lot more money than Truitt available for spending in the final week. He reported having spent $12,936.07 and having $6,100.40 on hand.

Debra Goldman's school board campaign finance report is in but we're still waiting for several more.

According to an e-mail message from the state Board of Elections, the Wake Schools Community Alliance electronically transmitted a report late Monday afternoon. It hasn't been forwarded yet to the Wake County Board of Elections.

No updated reports are in yet from candidates Chris Malone or John Tedesco or the Take Wake Schools Back PAC. But as long as their updated reports were postmarked no later than Monday they're okay.

It doesn't look like tax credits for special-needs students will get state legislative approval this year.

As noted in today's article, legislation that would allow parents of special-needs students to get a $6,000 a year tax credit for tuition at private schools is locked in committee. Both supporters and opponents concede it's unlikely the legislation will be voted on before the General Assembly recesses this month.

Legislators seem to be heeding the state's education lobby, which uniformly has opposed the bill as being a backdoor attempt toward vouchers for all families.