North Carolina will have two choices in November for state superintendent, the position that oversees the state’s public schools; Democrat Mo Green or Republican Michele Morrow.
Current State Superintendent Catherine Truitt lost her Republican primary to Morrow, a far-right activist, nurse and homeschool teacher that has since made headlines for her extreme and even violent rhetoric.
Maurice “Mo” Green won the Democratic primary and is the former superintendent of Guilford County Schools, the third largest school district in the state. Green was also the executive director of the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation, a foundation that awards grants supporting public education. Before Guilford County Schools, Green worked with Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools as general counsel. He has a bachelor’s degree in political science and economics and a law degree, both from Duke University.
Green is known locally in Guilford County and statewide for his listening and learning tours, titled “Mo Wants To Know.” He has said, “effective leaders do a lot of listening.”
“There is much to celebrate about public education in North Carolina and its transformative power. However, it is long past time for our state to truly fulfill its promise to each of its students – that no matter who you are, you will receive high-quality educational opportunities that will prepare you to be successful,” he said in his announcement of his run for state superintendent. “We can make that happen if we invest fully in public education, ensure safe and secure learning environments for our students, enhance parent and community support, and revere our educators.”
In an interview with WGHP, Green said he is running for superintendent due to his concern about the direction our public schools are going in now. Green said he believes NC schools are “woefully underfunded” and that there is a lack of respect for our public school educators. Green pointed out that it’s difficult to address a lot of what is actually happening in schools when many issues are overshadowed by the lack of proper funding. If we had adequate funding, Green says, it would be easier to accomplish what we actually want to accomplish with schools.
Green said that providing adequate funding would enable us to pay our educators more and ensure there are good working conditions for educators, including safe and up-to-date school buildings and a system of support in place so educators are not overwhelmed with extra responsibilities, such as bus duty, lunch duty, or the myriad other responsibilities teachers are tasked with beyond teaching.
The North Carolina State Superintendent is in charge of the state’s public schools. The position requires someone that can responsibly make strategic decisions regarding educational programs, spending, staff and facilities; those decisions will affect every student in a North Carolina public school.
