The Excellent Public Schools Act isn't the only major education change that state Senate Republican leaders are proposing today.

The NC Public Schools Budget Flexibility Act, here, would eliminate the state's maximum class size limits. The bill says "local school administrative units shall have the maximum flexibility to use allotted teacher positions to maximize student achievement."

In the process, it would end the state's efforts over the past decade to reduce class sizes in K-3. The K-3 class size reductions has proven challenging to growing districts like Wake County.

The bill's primary co-sponsors include Sen. Jerry Tillman, co-chairman of the Education Committee and a Randolph County Republican; and new Sen. Tamara Barringer, a Cary Republican.

Will the Wake County school system get permission to only add three and not five more days to the 2012-13 school calendar?

As noted in today's article, the state Board of Education will discuss today requests from this list of 69 school districts and four charter schools for waivers for next school year. Most of the 73 requests are for full waivers, but Wake is asking for a partial waiver.

Under Wake's waiver request, the district would add three days. The other two days would be used as teacher workdays. Click here for Wake's proposed 2012-13 school calendars should the waivers be approved.

UPDATE

Based on the talk at the State Board meeting today, it's not looking like school districts will get waivers on Thursday.

In theory, school leaders think it's a good idea for students to have a longer school year.

But as noted in today's article, Triangle school administrators are looking for ways not to implement the new requirement mandated by state legislators to expand the school year by five days and with 25 more hours of instruction.

Wake's approach is to add the hours without adding the additional days. Wake Superintendent Tony Tata has said this change, having the 25 hours spread out over 180 days, "accomplishes the intent" legislators had by putting the 25 hours over five more days.