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North Carolina voters will decide whether the state superintendent of public instruction for the next four years should be an educator.

Democratic incumbent June Atkinson, 64, argues that her education degrees, her career as a teacher and state school administrator, and her two terms as state schools superintendent make her the right choice for the job. But her Republican challenger, Wake County school board member John Tedesco, 37, argues that what’s needed is a superintendent who represents taxpayers and families, and not someone who’s worked in the “Raleigh education establishment since 1976.” Read a full profile of the race here.

More political headlines below.

Democratic state Superintendent June Atkinson is traveling the state on a political tour talking about spending cuts to education testing a new line: Republican budgets lead to larger class sizes and hurt learning.

Dubbed the "Class Size Matters" tour, it's a twist on the Democratic message about how the Republicans' budget led to about a thousand fewer teachers. Fewer teachers "means larger class sizes  and that means teachers are stretched thin," Atkinson said in a conference call Monday to introduce the August tour organized by the N.C. Democratic Party.

A weakness in the message: the numbers. Atkinson and the party are unable to cite any statistics showing class sizes have increased under the last two Republican budgets.

Nearly two years later, Wake County school board member John Tedesco is still facing fallout over having called fellow board member Debra Goldman a "prom queen" during a heated public exchange.

Richard Alexander's campaign has brought up the "prom queen" remark in its bid to defeat Tedesco in Tuesday's Republican Party runoff for state schools superintendent. The remark is an issue considering that Goldman is the GOP nominee for state auditor.

The Republican candidates for state superintendent are clearly delineated on one major issue: whether the post should be elected or appointed. John Tedesco, a Wake County school board member, says elected. His rival, Richard Alexander, a special education teacher, says appointed.

Tedesco bashed Alexander in a YouTube video, saying he is promoting the "Perdue-Alexander agenda." (The Gov. Bev Perdue reference recalls her effort to give greater powers to the chairman of the State Board of Education, essentially nullifying the elected superintendent -- a cause she lost in the courts.)

But in hitting his rival, Tedesco also strikes Republican gubernatorial nominee Pat McCrory -- who believes the superintendent should be an appointed position.

June Atkinson, state superintendent for public instruction, likes the House proposed budget for education.

In a statement today, Atkinson asked the full House Appropriations Committee to approve the education budget subcommittee's proposal.

Most Democrats haven't had such nice things to say about GOP-authored budgets,  but the House education draft has drawn some qualified praise from House Democrats.

The proposal adds money to the K-12 budget to replace $259 million in federal stimulus money that is running out, and negates a $74 million reduction local districts have to take next year.

The State Board of Elections on Friday wrapped up an investigation into Pat McCrory’s 2008 gubernatorial campaign by referring five campaign donors for possible prosecution, including four members of a Charlotte family.

Elections official Kim Strach told the board that Kenneth Gill, president of CPI Security, may have reimbursed three members of his family and an employee for donations to McCrory’s campaign. Giving in the name of another, or so-called “straw donors,” is illegal under North Carolina law. The case was referred to Mecklenburg District Attorney Andrew Murray. Read more here.

With the primary days away, many other political stories are in the headlines:

--The first week of early voting set a record -- surpassing even the heated 2008 Democratic primary election. Read more about the numbers here.

--Five GOP candidates are vying for the state superintendent nomination. Here's a primer on the race.

--The Republican race for lieutenant governor is all about big ideas outside the bounds of the office's muted power -- and a desire for a partisan takeover of the state's top two posts.

Rick Glazier is dropping his bid for state superintendent, deciding instead to seek re-election to the state House and avoid a messy Democratic primary with incumbent June Atkinson.

Glazier, a veteran Democratic lawmaker, filed paperwork to run for superintendent earlier this month against Atkinson, who he criticized for not opposing Republican education budget cuts more forcefully.

According to a statement, he changed his mind at the behest of state Democratic Party leaders who encouraged him to remain in the House amid other major party departures, including House Minority Leader Joe Hackney.

Wake County school board member John Tedesco announced today that he will run for the office of state superintendent of public instruction. 

The Garner Republican cited his work on the school board promoting educational opportunities to argue that he will the champion for students that he says has been lacking in the position of state schools superintendent. Two other Republicans have already announced plans to run in the May 8 primary election. Read more here.

With candidate filing a mere six weeks away, it's worth noting something we missed in late December: the heated rhetoric from two Democratic state lawmakers in the nascent race for state superintendent.

It began with Fayetteville Rep. Rick Glazier's formal entry into the campaign -- even though sitting Democratic superintendent June Atkinson has yet to announce her re-election plans. State Rep. Tricia Cotham, a Charlotte area Democrat, who is also eyeing the post, sent a missive to her supporters titled "Let's Stand Together."

"This is just the latest of many attempts by a small group of education elites to undermine June Atkinson's efforts," Cotham said, without explaining what she meant by "education elites." "As June was preparing for re-election in 2008, this same legislator - who now wants your vote for superintendent - sponsored legislation to take away the voters' right to elect the superintendent and to eliminate the superintendent's historic role as an executive officer of our state."

Glazier's campaign manager Adam Scott suggested Cotham is guilty of negative campaigning -- the opposite from her email title. "Representative Cotham’s letter clearly indicates that, if she decides to run for Superintendent, she intends to run a negative campaign. Democrats should be united in fighting Republican attacks against our teachers and our schools-- not each other," he said in statement.

Now political observers are just waiting to hear from Atkinson, so the gloves can really come off.