RALEIGH, N.C. — The North Carolina State Superintendent race continues to be one of the most anticipated of the election season, and the two people running to lead the state's Department of Public Instruction are Mo Green and Michele Morrow.
Back in September, it was announced that North Carolina’s public school students made small performance gains on standardized tests during the past school year. The proficiency levels are inching closer to percentages reached before the COVID-19 pandemic shuttered classrooms and led to remote learning.
State educators have said since 2022 that it would take time—perhaps four or five years—to rebound fully from the era of learning loss during the pandemic.
“There’s a lot of work that needs to be done,” NC State Superintendent Catherine Truitt said as the results were released at the State Board of Education meeting.
The results were released two months before voters decide who they want to succeed Truitt as superintendent.
Here's what to know about each candidate:
Maurice "Mo" Green
Green joined Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools in 2001 as a general counsel. In 2006, he was named chief operating officer and later moved into the role of deputy superintendent. He later served as Superintendent for Guilford County Schools for seven years.
"Public schools would do better if the resources were provided to public schools. We find ourselves in North Carolina in 48th position compared to the rest of the nation with regards to funding," Green said on WCNC'S Flashpoint.
Green, a Democrat, served as the executive director of the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation from 2016-2023, and when he retired from the role, ZSR honored him with a $425,000 grant to fund college scholarships for Guilford County Schools graduates.
Green earned a bachelor’s degree in political science and economics and a law degree, both from Duke University.
Michele Morrow
Morrow, a registered nurse and former missionary, has homeschooled her five kids for nearly 20 years, teaching Biology, Chemistry, Spanish, and Civics over the course of her career.
On WCNC's Flashpoint, Morrow said she's running to make public schools better so families wouldn't feel the need to switch to private schools.
"There's a reason why we are losing teachers and we're losing students at an alarming rate," she said.
The Republican defended some social media posts she made, saying it's "shameful" for that to be a focus during the election.
In 2020, Morrow posted a couple of tweets suggesting assassinating prominent Democratic leaders, like Barack Obama and Joe Biden. When asked if that violent rhetoric undermines her message of cracking down on violence and bullying in classrooms, Morrow asked, "Is there a perfect person on this ballot? Absolutely not, because Jesus Christ is not running."
Morrow earned a bachelor’s degree from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
WCNC Charlotte will have live election coverage of all the local and statewide elections starting at 7 p.m. on Election Day on Tuesday, Nov. 5 on streaming on WCNC+, and all election results can be found by texting the word ELECTION to 704-329-3600 or going to WCNC Charlotte's election page.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.