MAURICE GREEN
DEMOCRAT MO GREEN
PREPARES FOR FIGHT IN
NC SCHOOLS SUPT. RACE
By Cash Michaels
Contributing writer
Calling it a fight for “the soul of public education,” Maurice “Mo” Green, the Democratic nominee running to be elected the next NC superintendent of Public Instruction, told reporters during a March 21st press conference at NC Democratic Party (NCDP) headquarters in Raleigh that North Carolina can’t normalize the dark vision that his opponent, controversial Republican MAGA nominee Michele Morrow, has of public education in the state.
“She calls [public schools] indoctrination centers and would defund them by sending taxpayer dollars to unaccountable private schools,” Green told the press, as NCDP Chairwoman Anderson Clayton looked on.
“My opponent didn’t send her children to North Carolina’s public schools and now she is encouraging others to do the same,” Green added, noting that Morrow has homeschooled her five children since moving to North Carolina.
She has also called for getting rid of the State Board of Education, saying that it’s really not needed if she’s elected. Then, Morrow says, she could work directly with the Republican-led NC General Assembly to further change public education.
Green, 56, on the other hand, has a distinguished record of leadership in education.
He is “known statewide as a champion of public education” and a strong supporter of teachers. Green spent seven years, from 2008 to 2015, successfully leading the Guilford County Public School System, the state’s third largest public school system, before going to work for the charitable Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation.
At the time, Guilford County Schools had 127 schools, over 72,000 students, about 10,000 employees and an over $600 million budget.
Green was the first African-American superintendent of the unified Guilford County School System.
“There is much to celebrate about public education in North Carolina and its transformative power,” Green said when he announced his intention to run for NC superintendent. “However, it is long past time for our state to truly fulfill its promise to each of its students – that no matter who you are, you will receive high-quality educational opportunities that will prepare you to be successful. We can make that happen if we invest fully in public education, ensure safe and secure learning environments for our students, enhance parent and community support, and revere our educators.”
During the Georgia native’s Guilford County superintendent tenure, Green became known for his listening and learning tours, saying that effective leaders do a lot of listening.
He called those outreach efforts “Mo Wants to Know” tours.
According to Guilford County Schools, Green was responsible for high school graduation rates increasing from 79.7% in 2008 to 89.3% in 2015; reducing high school graduation gaps; and having students contribute more than one million hours of public service and $21 million in economic impact in the community. Those accomplishments were recognized with district, state and national honors.
Green is also credited with leading Guilford County Schools’ first strategic plan in 2012 to achieve educational excellence, and then using that foundation in a 2016 plan that focused on enhancing character, service, family, community and organizational excellence.
Interestingly, so dedicated was Supt. Maurice Green to his job, that when he resigned to take a position in philanthropy, it was noted that he always refused to accept his contractually annual three-percent raise.
Before going to Guilford County Schools, Green served in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Public Schools in 2001, ultimately becoming a deputy superintendent.
The Duke University alum is also an attorney, having clerked for judges in North Carolina’s federal Middle District, eventually becoming a partner at the law firm of Smith Helms Muliss & Moore LLP in Charlotte.
But now Green wants to be elected NC superintendent of Public Instruction so he can do for North Carolina students what he did for Guilford County pupils.
He has major endorsements from top Democratic Party figures in Gov. Roy Cooper, former Gov. Jim Hunt and former Gov. Beverly Perdue, in addition to former NC Schools Supt. June Atkinson, and other educational leaders.
Congresswoman Alma Adams endorses Maurice Green, as does former Congressman G.K. Butterfield, Congresswoman Kathy Manning and Congresswoman Deborah Ross.
Green also has strong endorsements from the North Carolina Association of Educators, the Durham Committee of the Affairs of Black People, the Black Political Caucus of Charlotte-Mecklenburg and the Raleigh-Wake Citizens Association, among others.
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NC HBCUs SEE RISE
IN APPLICATIONS
By Cash Michaels
Contributing writer
When the U.S. Supreme Court outlawed race-conscious affirmative action policies in college and university admissions in June, 2023, meaning that predominately-white schools will now be admitting less Black and other students of color, many observers then suggested that HBCUs (historically Black colleges and universities) would likely see an influx of African-American student applicants as a result.
Now, almost a year later, there are indications that that prediction may be coming true.
Here in North Carolina, according to published reports, more Black students are indeed applying to attend several of the state’s top HBCUs.
Five North Carolina HBCUs - NC A&T University, Elizabeth City State University, Fayetteville State University, NC Central University and Winston-Salem State University - all report dramatic increases in student applications over this time last year prior to the U.S. High Court ruling.
NC A&T has experienced a 12% bump in applications.
ECSU boasts a 9% increase.
FSU notes an 18% increase in student applications.
NCCU is enjoying a 27% hike in student applications and student interest, the largest of any of the five HBCUs in the UNC System.
WSSU, interestingly, received a 3% decrease in first-time student applications, but a 41% increase in possible graduate student applications.
Much of these increases, especially in NCCU’s case, reportedly came from strong recruitment efforts once the Supreme Court decision came down.
NC HBCUs also credit “Common Application.”
According to “Diverse,” an online publication, “The Common App is a one-stop application process that allows students to apply to over 1,000 member institutions by filling out one form, which significantly simplifies the often-daunting process of applying for college.”
The “Diverse” story continued, “When Common App was initially created over 40 years ago, the majority of its member institutions were private, many highly selective. But in the last decade, the nonprofit has worked to purposefully center more equitable access to postsecondary education by connecting with more Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs). Now, 134 MSIs and 30 Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), including NCCU, are members. This deliberate effort has increased not only the diversity of the applicants using the system to apply but the number of applicants connecting with HBCUs.”
Recruiters at NC HBCUs say using Common App helps to get their institutions name out nationally so that students from across the country can find their schools to consider, and make application.
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