NC Superintendent candidates make final appeals to voters before Election Day, amid contentious race
RA;EIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- ABC11 sat down with both Maurice "Mo" Green and Michele Morrow as the two candidates vie to run North Carolina schools as the Superintendent of Public Instruction. We've included full interviews with both candidates below.
Michele Morrow, Republican candidate
You have an unconventional background, why did you want to enter this race?
Morrow: You know, I really believe education is the most important issue concerning the future of North Carolina and the country, and our children are just not getting a quality education. They're not safe, and somebody needs to step in, and I believe it needs to be somebody that has experience with both public, private and homeschooling. To come in and say, these are the good and these are the things that are bad, and we need some different perspectives and common sense solutions to what we're facing here in North Carolina.
What do you think is the biggest issue in North Carolina schools right now?
Morrow: Safety is No. 1, and then academic excellence is the other. The problem is we are focusing our money and our classroom time on things that are more political activism and social agendas rather than the actual basic education that our children need.
What would North Carolina schools look like under your leadership?
Morrow: Under my administration, we would have safe schools. We would have common sense discipline policies. We would have excellence in education, and we would have no boys in our girls sports.
How would you accomplish those goals?
Morrow: Well, what we really need to do is build some bridges, because in North Carolina, you know, you might not know, but the General Assembly sets laws and every one of our 115 districts are supposed to follow those laws. Unfortunately, there are some loopholes in which many of our more left-leaning school boards tend to live in those, and so we do not have the same academic excellence across the state and that needs to change. I would start with meeting with people in the State Board of Education as well as within the DPI. I will find people who are going to make student needs first and foremost that regardless of what decision we're making, whether it's financial, whether it's in, how we're training our teachers, how we're handling discipline, what we're doing with curriculum choices. The student success has got to be first and foremost at the front of everyone's minds.
Why do you think this race has gotten so much attention this time around?
Morrow: I think it's because those that are in the educational-industrial complex are very concerned that they're going to lose their control over our children's minds, and they are worried that I'm going to come in and I'm going to expose what's happening, and I'm going to be effective and efficient, which is what I'm going to do, and it's, and I think they're threatened by that. I think that there has been a very large attack on parental rights and what we've seen in the last four years with the lockdowns of schools, with the masking of our children, with the inappropriate content in our schools, with even the medical malpractice that's been happening, I have been fighting against that, and I'll do that on both sides of the aisle. I am not running for a party. I'm running for the people of North Carolina. And I think the parents are ready to have someone that is going to be a voice for them and is going to express their concerns. And we're going to get back to when school was a fun place to be, and teachers and parents and teachers and students can't wait to get there in the morning. I think we have way too much political influence in our schools and it's time for somebody to stand up and say enough is enough and we need to put our students first.
If voters only remember one thing heading to the polls tomorrow about you as a candidate, what do you hope that is?
Morrow: I think they need to know that I am there for them and for their families. And I've actually been fighting for the last five years, just as a concerned citizen going to the General Assembly and trying to help parents and just concerned people around North Carolina know how they can positively impact the education system. And that's my complete intention. I want to make sure that every student in North Carolina gets an excellent education, that we put hope and purpose back into our classroom, and that everyone, when they walk across that graduation stage is excited about their future.
Some of your rhetoric has come under fire this election season. Do you stand by your past statements? What do you want people to know if they're concerned about what you've said?
Morrow: I want everybody to know that absolutely the rhetoric has not come from me, quite honestly. These are things that were written four and five years ago. It is my opponent who has dropped $7 million in attack ads against me, trying to dig stuff up to make people fearful. But what they really should be fearful of is that my opponent wants to double down on the political agendas, the social agendas. He has gotten wealthy off of the backs of failures in our public school system. So I have no doubt as to why he has not been able to talk about any of the issues because he doesn't think that there's anything that needs to be changed in our schools besides the fact that the North Carolina taxpayer needs to pay him and the administrative bureaucrats more money. So, if anybody is concerned and they can go to my website, because I have been spending the last three years talking about how we can put students first, how we can make them safe, how we can ensure that they have an excellent education, and how we can make every education system here in North Carolina, specifically the traditional public school system, be the absolute best in the country and an example for everyone else to follow.
Is there anything we didn't ask you that you want voters to know?
Morrow: The future is on the line - really. Education is the greatest opportunity maker. It's what lifts entire families and communities out of poverty. And we have got to strengthen our education system. There is no reason in 2024 why it should be dependent on what ZIP Code you live in as to what quality of education you get, and so if you vote for me, I will be sure that every student is getting an excellent education in the state of North Carolina.
Mo Green, Democratic candidate
Why did you decide to enter this race?
Green: I certainly have deep concerns about student achievement across the state of North Carolina. Also concerned about the woeful underfunding of our public schools and the level of disrespect shown to our public school educators, and I always like to remind folks as well that Gov. (Roy) Cooper did ask me to run for this position. I had actually retired and came out of retirement to do so.
What would North Carolina schools look like under your leadership?
Green: So, it looks like, you know, what it looked like in Guilford County Schools with regards to having a very clear vision of the vision. There was intelligence plus character as the goal of true education, and it with a focus on excellence. When I was superintendent there, we raised graduation rates dramatically from the 70s to almost 90%, it's now over 90%. At the same time, we increased academic achievement in a number of different measures including the number of students who are taking in passing college-level courses while still in high school And then also then it was recognized as a national district of character. What you'll get with me is a reverence for educators, certainly enhanced engagements with parents and communities, certainly enhanced work around providing safe and secure learning environments, recognizing that there is need to improve student achievement. But the way to do that is to work with folks, build a coalition and celebrate the good in public education as a goal.
What's at stake if you're not elected?
Green: I do believe that the very soul of public education is on the ballot this November. And that if I'm not elected, there are a number of things that I think will continue to happen, unfortunately. One is that I think we'll continue to see funding that ought to be going into public schools, going into other educational opportunities. For example, the taxpayer-funded private school voucher program, which is draining hundreds of millions of dollars away from our public schools into private schools. I think we'll also see a number of things like disparagement of various groups, including our educators and various students. My opponent has been on record of calling our public schools absolute cesspools of evil, lies and deception and taken over by Satan and has indicated that, you know, for example, the LGBTQ community, the class that is utilized with that community includes pedophilia, you know, which is, you know, certainly another indication of the kind of rhetoric that she will bring forward if she takes over and leads our public schools. So, I see not the kind of positive progress we ought to be making with our public schools, but rather a further political politicization of our public schools - a lot of violent rhetoric when she doesn't get her way and disparaging remarks made to various groups, if you will.
Why do you think this race has gotten so much more attention this year than in years past?
Green: Well, I think it's attributed to the nature of public education in our state and across the country, where there is a movement You know, folks try to capture the school choice as an example, but it's this movement away from traditional public education and to other opportunities, and I do believe that it's gotten more attention because of my opponent who has this is a person who has no experience in our public schools, homeschools her children, and so that has captured people's imagination: 'Why would this person even think that she is qualified to run for this position?' I've already reiterated, you know, already mentioned some of the violent rhetoric. I think that has captured the attention of many others, and she's also said things like she wants to see the abolishment of the North Carolina State Board of Public Education. So, this is putting right at the forefront, this idea that we need to be moving away from public education. So, I think the combination of things where I say the very soul of public education is on the ballot, and that's why I think it's gotten the kind of statewide and national attention that it has.
If voters only remember one thing about you as a candidate when heading to the polls tomorrow, what do you hope that is?
Green: That I am the only one in this race that has the experience to run a complex educational operation. I served as superintendent of Guilford County Schools for seven and a half years, and under my leadership, there was dramatic improvement from any number of different academic measures and character development.
Is there anything we didn't ask you that you want voters to know?
Green: The only thing I would add is, in addition to experience, is belief in our public schools and in character. Certainly, I believe in our public schools for our children. My wife and I (put our children) into our public schools as opposed to home school children like my opponent has done and character, you know, certainly folks lift up various things that I have done with my character. I like to lift up what we try to do on behalf of students, and that's what I would be taken forward as opposed to my opponent would encourage folks to go to abcmorrow.com where you can learn more about all of the things that she has said, tweeted about, put herself on video about. That makes one question why she shouldn't even be close to our children, much less leading our public school educational system.
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