Mo Green (D) and Michele Morrow (R) are running in the general election for North Carolina superintendent of public instruction

Mo Green (D) and Michele Morrow (R) are running in the general election for North Carolina superintendent of public instruction on November 5, 2024. Morrow defeated incumbent Catherine Truitt (R) in the Republican primary.

In June 2024, Education Week’s Libbie Stanford described voters’ choice between Green and Morrow as one between “a person with experience teaching in and leading K-12 schools or an outsider with a potentially new take on education policy.” Green said Morrow’s views on public education are “fueled by angry conspiracies and calls for violence, including the executions of President Barack Obama, Gov. Roy Cooper and other elected officials.” Morrow said, “The Left is desperate that the people of North Carolina not know that if he [Green] is put in power, if my opponent is giventhis position, our educational system and as a result, our state will be unrecognizable,” adding, “We will be California 2.0 before we can blink an eye.”

Green received his bachelor’s degree in political science and economics and his law degree from Duke University. He served as general counsel, chief operating officer, then deputy superintendent for Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools. He also served as the superintendent of Guilford County Schools and executive director of the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation, a grantmaking organization that said it is “committed to improving the quality of life for all North Carolinians.”

Morrow received her bachelor’s degree in nursing from UNC Chapel Hill. She worked as a nurse, activist, and homeschool teacher. Morrow taught several subjects to high schoolers in micro schools, which her campaign website describes as “a ‘mid-point’ between traditional schooling and homeschooling.” She was a representative for Liberty First Grassroots, a conservative political action committee, and legislative liaison at Pavement Education Project, which says it “offers parents and citizens an opportunity to see what books are available in NC Schools.”

Green said, “My opponent didn’t send her children to North Carolina’s public schools and now she is encouraging others to do the same.” He referred to Morrow’s social media posts critical of public schools, saying, “She calls them indoctrination centers and would defund them by sending taxpayer dollars to unaccountable private schools.”

Morrow defended her experience as a homeschool teacher. Morrow said she will work “to eliminate progressive indoctrination in schools.” Morrow’s campaign website says that North Carolina students “are often exposed to one-sided lessons portraying America as a racist and oppressive nation” and that “[s]ome schools even teach children to stereotype, scapegoat, and shame others based on their ethnicity, religion, or sexuality.”

Green said, “DEI and CRT are being used by people like my opponent as a political weapon to divide us,” and added: “Educators know how important it is to understand, appreciate and embrace our diverse students and provide them with differentiated resources that meet their needs so they will be well-rounded students who will contribute positively to our society.” Morrow said, “The only diversity and equity our schools should be promoting is diversity of ideas and teaching methods and equity of opportunity.”