With just 71 days between the start of the school year for most local public schools on Aug. 26 and election day on Nov. 5, here is a look at the factors from money and polls to coattails and national news that might influence the race for superintendent of public instruction between the Republican candidate Michele Morrow and the Democratic candidate Mo Green.
BEST NC is hosting a conversation with the candidates on Sept. 12 at noon, moderated by Chris William. The event is by invitation only, but it will be available online following the event.
LatinxEd is hosting a fireside chat with the candidates on Sept. 13 at 9 a.m., moderated by Xavier Adams, the 2022 Beginning Teacher of the Year. Here is more information.
NC PTA and Public Schools First NC are hosting a candidate forum on Sept. 14 at 10 a.m., moderated by Jeff Tiberii. Here is more information on how to register to watch a livestream.
Until then, here is our EdExplainer on the job they both want. The state superintendent serves in North Carolina’s executive branch and is in charge of day-to-day operations of the N.C. Department of Public Instruction (DPI), manages a $17.2 million budget, and oversees about 1,800 employees.
Here is Morrow’s issues page on her campaign website, which includes her stance on safe schools, academics first, parent-friendly schools, American unity and patriotism, getting D.C. out of N.C. schools, and ending wasteful spending. She has called for audits of DPI’s spending and program effectiveness.
On July 25, Donald Trump released his “plan to save American education and give power back to parents,” which has Morrow’s full support.
Green lists these pillars on his website: “revere public school educators, celebrate the good in public education, ensure safe, secure learning environments, enhance parent and community support, prepare each student for their next phase in life, and invest fully in public education.”
ICYMI, here are our profiles of Morrow and Green so you can get to know them.
Reporter Linda Jacobson with The 74 interviewed both candidates, and EdNC republished the article.
In the article, Chris Cooper, a professor of political science and public affairs at Western Carolina University, comments on the race.
“If Morrow does win,” Cooper said, “it will likely be on the backs of a larger number of Republican wins in North Carolina.”
“She is running for office by running against the current system,” he said.
Cooper also noted that it is unusual for this race to be receiving national attention.
What’s the impact on the race of Vice President Kamala Harris now being at the top of the ticket?
Where do they stand?
There is a big difference when it comes to education betweeen the Trump/Vance ticket and the Harris/Walz ticket. The Hechinger Report recently released an in-depth analyses of the differences.
Trump/Vance: “The former president and his running mate hope to restructure early education, K-12 schools, and the nation’s colleges and universities, if elected.”
Harris/Walz: “The candidates aspire to cut the cost of child care, boost support for public K-12 schools, and expand access to higher education.”
What do the polls say?
Here is what you need to know from the most recent polling by The Carolina Journal reported on Aug. 9:
The presidential race in North Carolina is tighter than ever, according to the latest poll of likely voters from The Carolina Journal. Former President Donald Trump is leading Vice President Kamala Harris by 3.1 points. This lead is within the margin of error of ±3.99%.
The percentage of people stating they will vote for Kamala Harris is 6 points higher than when Joe Biden was the presumed Democratic Party nominee.
Despite Republican Donald Trump leading in the presidential race, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Josh Stein is ahead in the governor’s race. Stein now leads Republican Mark Robinson by 4.4 points – with 42.6% support over Robinson’s 38.2% support.
Where Stein has the greatest lead over Robinson, however, is in trust over K-12 education (5.2 points).
Republicans are polling above Democrats in every other Council of State race. The strongest lead is in the State Superintendent’s race. Republican Michele Morrow (41.5%) is ahead of Democrat Maurice “Mo” Green (37%) by 4.5 points.
The most recent poll by Carolina Forward published on Aug. 12 has Green leading by 3 points over Morrow.
According to the methodology of 538, Harris is up 2.7% nationally over Trump as of Aug. 13.
According to the New York Times, Harris is ahead of Trump by 1% as of Aug. 13, and she is leading in Wisconsin and Michigan.
Harris is also leading in this just released poll by the Cook Political Report, which focuses on swing states including North Carolina.
Appealing to teachers and coaches
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz is a former social studies teacher and football coach. His wife, Gwen Walz, is also an educator and has been an advocate for educational opportunities in prisons.
Football coaches across North Carolina are taking notice, according to this article.
Spending on ads
According to Axios, Trump is now spending money on ads in North Carolina.
Republican support for Harris
On Aug. 6, according to the AP, Harris launched, “Republicans for Harris.”
In North Carolina, Bob Orr will lead the “Republicans for Harris” campaign.
Orr, a former Republican and now registered as unaffiliated, served on the N.C. Supreme Court from 1995 to 2004, and famously in education circles authored the opinion in Leandro II in 2004. Read more in this article by NC Newsline.
Other national influences
The Lincoln Project, which says it is dedicated to the preservation, protection, and defense of democracy, is reaching out to conservative voters across North Carolina “to convince them that Trump is still unfit for the presidency,” according to WRAL.
Project 2025, also called the 2025 Presidential Transition Project, was spearheaded by the Heritage Foundation but includes a broad coalition of conservative organizations. Its policy manual, “Mandate for Leadership: The Conservative Promise,” is 30 chapters and 922 pages long.
Brookings published this commentary on the project, titled, “Project 2025 and education: A lot of bad ideas, some more actionable than others.” Here is a sample of Project 2025’s recommendations, according to Brookings:
- Dismantle the U.S. Department of Education;
- Eliminate the Head Start program for young children in poverty;
- Discontinue the Title I program that provides federal funding to schools serving low-income children; and
- Rescind federal civil rights protections for LGBTQ+ students.
Trump is distancing his campaign from the project.
How much money had the candidates raised by June 30, 2024?
The Morrow campaign reported $50,661.98 cash on hand and $255,293.73 receipts to date. Here is the report, including a list of contributors.
The Green campaign reported $578,384.24 cash on hand and $975,545.50 receipts to day. Here is the report, including a list of contributors.
CNN’s coverage of the race
On Friday, March 16, 2024, just after the primary election, CNN published a news article about social media posts between 2019-21 by Morrow on her personal Twitter account that sanctioned violence including death by firing squad of leaders of our country.
Recently, CNN sufaced a video that Morrow posted on the evening of Jan. 6.
Morrow responded on Twitter, now X.
Education reporter for the News & Observer Keung Hui, along with reporter Avi Bajpai, interviewed Green about the video in this article. Green also appeared on CNN.
Has Superintendent Catherine Truitt weighed in?
In May 2024, Superintendent Catherine Truitt, speaking at an event of the Public School Forum of North Carolina, urged North Carolinians to ask superintendent candidates the following questions:
How will you navigate political pressures and widespread conflict among stakeholders to prioritize the best interest of students and the broader education community?
How will you engage with parents, community members, and others to build trust, gather input, and foster collaborative decision making when many of these entities disagree with one another?
If you are provided additional resources, do you have targeted plans to spend it in a way that will result in better outcomes for students?
When was the last time you met with educators, a local superintendent, or a principal?
Maybe most importantly: when was the last time you entrusted the North Carolina public school system with your child?
EdNC asked Truitt her biggest worry about both candidates in this interview. For both candidates, she notes, the public doesn’t know enough about their plans.
What does Oklahoma have to do with anything, and how did religion get to be part of this race?
On June 27, 2024, Ryan Walters, state superintendent of public instruction in Oklahoma, sent this memo to district superintendents, which states, “the Ten Commandments, as an instructional support into the curriculum across specified grade levels, e.g., grades 5 through 12. This directive is in alignment with the educational standards approved on or about May 2019.”
Legally he asserts that the directive is in compliance with his state’s educational standards, with which districts, he contends, are required to comply.
The memo concludes, “adherence to this mandate is compulsory. Further instructions for monitoring and reporting on this implementation for the 2024/25 school year will be forthcoming. Immediate and strict compliance is expected.”
He later issued these instructional support guidelines, which require the following to be provided to every teacher: “a physical copy of the Bible, the United States Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, and the Ten Commandments as resources in every classroom in the school district. These documents are mandatory for the holistic education of students in Oklahoma.”
According to the New York Times, “The mandate comes as part of a conservative movement to infuse Christian values in public schools.”
In an audio clip surfaced by a Democratic PAC, Morrow says Walters reached out to her during the campaign, that she has met with him in person, and she says, “I absolutely believe that we need to get elective Bible classes back in every middle and high school.”
Religion is constitutionally allowed to be taught in our public schools. Here is more from Hui at the News & Observer.
What about endorsements?
Here are Morrow’s endorsements, which include some local school board members, and here are Green’s endorsements, which include some former state education leaders and former district superintendents.
Looking for signs?
As far as candidates go, I am still seeing more handmade signs for Trump on the byways of our state — and I believe if you make a sign, then you are going to vote.
But there are also billboards supporting teachers popping up across the state funded by Public Ed Works.
The N.C. School Boards Association has billboards up too, and they launched this website, all to spread the word that “public education does the public good.”
Will that have an impact on the election or the long session of the legislature? Let me know what you think along with any other factors you think will influence the race at mrash at ednc.org.
