Education

Wake County School officials are holding information sessions for parents starting today. The five events are designed to help families navigate a school choice plan that will take effect next year.

The five information sessions will take place in churches, preschools, and town halls in an attempt to reach out to populations that may not be easily reached otherwise. One of the sessions will be held in Spanish.

Only five people have ever been the president of the 16-campus UNC system. Tom Ross, Erskine Bowles, Molly Broad, C-D Spangler, and Bill Friday got together last night to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the creation of the UNC system. It was a night of shared experiences and behind-the-scenes stories. But, the best story of all may be how the system was created in the early 1970s.

Democrats have regained control of the majority on the Wake County School Board. Incumbent Kevin Hill defeated Republican Heather Losurdo in a runoff election last night.

Looking worn out and even slightly embarrassed, Kevin Hill greeted supporters last night after the final votes were in.

In the most expensive Wake School Board race in history, Hill defeated Losurdo by just four percentage points. He is the fifth Democrat to win this election season – a strong rebuke of the Republicans who held the majority the last 2 years.

Education officials in Halifax County are stepping up efforts to hold parents accountable for student attendance. The county court system will host monthly truancy sessions starting at the end of November. Many other counties have similar programs. The move comes as dropout and truancy rates continue to rise in Halifax County's three school districts. County District Attorney Melissa Pelfrey says those districts don't always take the same steps to address truancy.

The final seat on the Wake County School Board is up for grabs today. Voters in Wake County’s District 3 will decide between Republican Heather Losurdo and Democrat Kevin Hill.

The runoff campaign has been intense, personal, and expensive. Counting all five school board races and the District 3 runoff, school board candidates have spent around $500,000. Outside interest groups have spent tens of thousands more. Losurdo says these messages are distracting to voters in District 3.

Click here for Dave DeWitt's story for NPR's Morning Edition about the Wake School Board runoff.