Democrat Maurice “Mo” Green defeated Republican Michele Morrow in the race for North Carolina superintendent of public instruction in the 2024 election and took the place of Republican Catherine Truitt on Jan. 1. The power in North Carolina’s superintendent position lies in the budget, where teacher pay and public school resources are determined.
Green’s win marks a change for the state, as a Republican has held the position for the past eight years. Green worked at Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools as general counsel beginning in 2001, eventually moving on to the role of deputy superintendent in the district. In 2008, Green moved to Guilford County Schools as superintendent.
App State, which originally opened as a teachers college, graduates approximately 500 teachers a year and has one of the largest teaching preparation programs in North Carolina.
Julie Hasson, an assistant professor in school administration, said the state superintendent bridges the gap between the state board of education, a legislative branch and the schools. The superintendent manages the budget, which is $11 billion for 2025. Hasson said the state superintendent determines how teacher, principal and superintendent licensure is acquired and what the requirements are.
While Green oversees preschool to 12th grade, Hasson said the state superintendent position still has an impact on the college of education because of licensures.
“The department of public instruction that he will head determines licensure and that’s what we do is prepare students for teacher licensure or, like me, principal licensure,” Hasson said. “So for us in the college of ed it uniquely impacts in ways that it doesn’t impact other colleges in higher ed.”
Hasson said at Guilford County Schools, graduation rates increased and student achievement outcomes improved.
“He has a history of being able to work with teachers in schools and figure out how to create the kind of conditions in which better teaching and learning happen,” Hasson said.
Watauga High School English and yearbook teacher, Adrienne Stumb, worked as a teacher in Guilford County while Green was superintendent there. Stumb said during her time there Green put in an effort to make sure disciplinary measures were being used evenly across the board, such as in-school and out-of-school suspensions being used with careful consideration and without discrimination.
“I think one of the biggest things that I remember is that there was a lot of focus on let’s celebrate what we’re getting right, and if those things are working, let’s make sure we’re keeping those things going,” Stumb said.
While Stumb never met Green while working for him, she did meet him when he came to Blowing Rock for a campaign event.
Jackson Piermont, sophomore history and social studies education major, said Greene’s experience, especially compared with Morrow, was undeniable.
Piermont said there has been a shift across the country, especially since 2016, of people not trusting public education. “Mo Green kind of represents, at least to me, a step away from that, of putting a qualified person in the office who is willing to work for teachers and for students.”
Hasson said political parties can play into the state superintendent position, but it hasn’t with Truitt. She said Truitt has been focused on pulling teachers together and making sure they are doing the right things for schools.
“Even though she’s a Republican by party, she’s been a great proponent of public education and I know there’s some pressure at times, politically, to look at different ways of funding schools, so I think it could, but I haven’t seen that with her, and I don’t expect to see that with him,” Hasson said.
Stumb said she’s always thought education should be a non-partisan issue. She said Truitt did well in many ways, but she wished she saw more resources for students, like universal breakfast and lunches for students. She said this was a resource during the COVID-19 pandemic, but this isn’t the case anymore.
Stumb said she doesn’t think teachers go into the profession thinking they’re going to make a ton of money, but wants to see more financial support for teacher pay.
“Pay has been pretty stagnant for educators for a while, and it’s really hard to keep people in the profession if they don’t see that there’s some upward mobility,” Stumb said.
Stumb said there has been a “strange narration” in the past 10 years around what public schools are doing. She said while she isn’t in every school, she believes teachers are working hard and students are trying their best.
“I think we want, collectively want public schools to succeed and I think they can,” Stumb said.
