Well, that was something different.

The News & Observer of Raleigh has good coverage of yesterday?s Wake County School Board meeting ? and there were definitely some fireworks that make for good reading.

Four new conservative board members ? John Tedesco, Deborah Prickett, Debra Goldman, and Chris Malone ? were sworn in as the first order of business. They join current member Ron Margiotta as the new reform-minded majority on the board.

After the swearing in ceremony (pictures below), supporters of the new school board members held a 45-minute reception in a nearby room. When the full board convened around 4:30, things got a little interesting.

Goldman was elected vice chairman by a unanimous voice vote. Margiotta then proposed a motion calling for an organizational meeting to re-elect a new chairman, a move that met strong opposition from existing board members.

Nevertheless, with the help of his new allies, Margiotta prevailed and inevitably became board chairman, ousting Kevin Hill, a supporter of the school system?s diversity busing policy.

Not through yet, the new conservative majority proposed to add to the agenda a series of motions that could have significantly altered existing policies in Wake County schools.

The N&O?s Keung Hui has a summary of what the board acted on at his blog, but two of the biggest were studying which year-round schools should be converted back to a traditional calendar and sending to a policy committee a revised student assignment plan that focuses on neighborhood schools rather than busing for diversity.

The crowd, mostly composed of diversity busing supporters, got hostile at times. There were groans when Margiotta became chairman. Speakers who addressed the board during the public comment period often raised their voices and were critical of the new board, generating applause from the crowd. Margiotta threatened to end the public comment period unless better order could be maintained.

Debra Goldman, representing district 9, is sworn in by former N.C. Supreme Court chief justice I. Beverly Lake.

Goldman addresses the crowd as outgoing school board member Eleanor Goettee (left) and current board member Anne McLaurin (district 5) look on.

Goldman takes her seat next to Margiotta.

The Honorable Fred G. Morrison, Jr., (left) swears in Chris Malone (center), representing district 1.

Malone takes the oath.

Deborah Prickett, representing district 7, becomes teary eyed while addressing the crowd.

Morrison swears in John Tedescoe, representing district 2.

Tedesco reads from the Bible after being sworn in.

Tedesco and his pastor, Abel Grande, confer before the swearing in ceremony.

From left to right: school board member Keith Sutton (district 4), Superintendent Del Burns, and outgoing school board member Lori Millberg.

Burns and Superintendent of Public Instruction June Atkinson talk before the meeting.

Wake County Sheriff Donnie Harrison watches as the new school board members are sworn in.

The board’s new chairman, Ron Margiotta.