NC will have a new state superintendent next year. See which candidates want your vote.
North Carolina voters will pick a new state superintendent to lead the public school system.
Current State Superintendent Catherine Truitt lost her reelection bid in the Republican primary to Michele Morrow. Now Morrow will take on Democrat Maurice “Mo” Green.
The superintendent of public instruction is responsible for overseeing the day-to-day operations of the state Department of Public Instruction. This includes the $11 billion in state funding for public schools that DPI distributes to local school districts and charter schools.
The superintendent advocates and informs the state on issues in education, makes recommendations for policy changes to the legislature and governor and works with the State Board of Education.
Truitt was elected in 2020. During her tenure, she pushed for higher pay for teachers, changes in how reading and math are taught, overhauling how schools are graded by the state and harsher penalties for teachers who have sex with students.
Now a new superintendent will have to deal with issues such as helping Western North Carolina schools recover from Hurricane Helene and helping schools make up for pandemic learning losses.
Green and Morrow came out ahead in their respective March primaries to face off this fall.
Green is the former superintendent of Guilford County Schools, which is the state third-largest school district. He is the former executive director of the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation, a group that funds progressive causes.
Morrow is a registered nurse, conservative activist, homeschool parent and former Christian missionary.
The race has gotten national attention due to CNN reports about Morrow’s past social media posts. Those include talking about killing Democrats such as former President Barack Obama, and encouraging President Donald Trump to use the military to stay in power in 2021.
Candidate questionnaires
The News & Observer and The Charlotte Observer asked Green and Morrow to fill out a candidate questionnaire. Only Green responded. Read Green’s response and other questionnaires at newsobserver.com/voter-guide.
