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.

Terry Stoops is saying that his sources tell him that "former Wake County superintendent Tony Tata will not be appointed chairman of the State Board of Education."

It's part of a column today from Stoops, director of education studies for the conservative John Locke Foundation, in which he makes predictions about education changes to come in North Carolina now that Republicans hold the governor's mansion and the General Assembly.

Other predictions include expanding career and technical education, the director of the Division of Non-Public Education "is the most important education appointment that nobody is talking about" and "Pat McCrory will become a Jeb Bush/Bobby Jindal/Mitch Daniels-type education reformer."

Claim: “Erv Portman was the only county commissioner to vote against increasing by $4 million classroom funding in the Wake County Public Schools.”

Source: A print ad distributed by the N.C. Republican Party

Context: Erv Portman is a Wake County Commissioner running as a Democrat for a seat in the state Senate representing District 17. His opponent is Tamara Barringer.

A recent ad by the N.C. GOP calls Portman “wrong on education” because of his vote against an increase in classroom funding.