Meet the Candidate: Maurice "Mo" Green

Maurice “Mo” Green, 57, was born in New York City and currently lives in Greensboro. He’s earned a bachelor’s degree in political science and economics as well as a law degree from Duke University. He has served as superintendent of Guilford County Schools, general counsel for Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, and executive director of the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation. He’s married with two adult children. In November, the Democrat faces Republican Michele Morrow in the race for North Carolina’s superintendent of public instruction. Morrow defeated incumbent Catherine Truitt in the Republican primary.

Public Instruction Superintendent Candidate Maurice “Mo” Green at a Glance

• Born in New York City.
• Earned degrees from Duke University.
• Married with two children.
• Served as superintendent of Guilford County Schools and general counsel for Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools.
• Faces Republican Michele Morrow in the 2024 general election.

Green recently took time to answer some questions from Southpoint Access.

Southpoint Access: How will you address teacher shortages and improve teacher retention in our public schools?

Mo Green: One of my core campaign pillars is to “revere educators.” This was instilled in me when I was young thanks to my Mother. My Mother was called to give back to those in need and became a special education teacher. In her classroom, she demanded excellence of her students, then celebrated all of their accomplishments: big and small. I have continued that reverence throughout my professional career.

We must return North Carolina to a state that values teachers and treats them as such. Teaching is a noble profession, but our state has woefully underpaid and consistently disrespected educators. They are professionals, and I will advocate to provide the pay they should earn, respect they are due, and professional development opportunities they need to be excellent. Our educators play a pivotal role in our children’s lives, and we must pay them more and give them the appreciation they deserve.

I believe that North Carolina must first start with paying teachers more. The base starting salary must be increased dramatically. I think it is a mistake to implement other strategies before addressing the fundamental issue of low base salaries. As a result, I will advocate for dramatic increases in educator compensation. And know that when I say educator, I mean bus drivers, teacher assistants, cafeteria workers, and support staff who provide services to our children.

Once a plan is developed and implemented to increase base teacher pay, then, I would advocate for the implementation of strategies such as:

• increases in salaries for both inputs (additional certifications, degrees) and outcomes (student achievement);
• increases in salaries for teacher leaders; school-wide bonuses for performance;
• and recruitment and retention bonuses for high-performing teachers.

I would also work with leaders in colleges and universities to encourage more students to earn their teaching license in addition to their chosen degree. I would also seek additional resources for professional development.

I will work with stakeholders across organizational and partisan lines to address the teacher shortage crisis in North Carolina.

Southpoint Access: How will you ensure equitable access to quality education for all students, regardless of socioeconomic background?

Mo Green: Our woefully inadequate school funding currently strains our marginalized students the most, often impacting the level of educational opportunities they can receive.

I have major pillars for improving North Carolina’s public school system, including:

1) advocating for fully funding public schools;

2) revering educators and advocating for more compensation for them; and

3) providing differentiated resources to address the educational needs of each and every student.

These pillars would improve the lives of all students, regardless of their socioeconomic position, because they would directly address the concerns noted above.

I will note that I have had a variety of experiences with public education for all kinds of students, regardless of their socioeconomic background. For example, I served as superintendent of Guilford County Schools, (a system) that had a significant percentage of students who were economically disadvantaged. We disaggregated data to determine which students were not performing well and provided additional resources to help them succeed. As a result of those and other related efforts, student academic achievement increased and graduation rates increased for various subgroups of students, including those who were economically disadvantaged. In addition, I have experience supporting and advocating for equitable access to public education through my work as the Executive Director of the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation. The foundation funds the low-wealth plaintiff school districts in the Leandro litigation.

Southpoint Access: What initiatives will you implement to improve school safety and create a supportive learning environment for students?

Mo Green: A top priority will be to ensure we have safe, secure learning environments for our children. To that end, initiatives will include:

• Gathering and communicating best practice information for making schools safe environments, including information about facility upgrades, effective technology tools, and behavioral practices; advocating for resources to implement those best practices; and providing technical support to local school systems and schools so that they can implement best practices.
• Increasing access to mental health services across the state through advocacy efforts with the General Assembly, seeking funds from various other sources for these services, and working with schools on ways to make it easier for students and staff to access mental health services.Working with law enforcement and school personnel to develop effective, positive relationships that enhance the safety of schools while also developing positive behaviors of students.
• Developing and refining policies that make schools welcoming and safe environments for all students, develop positive student behaviors and character, and address inappropriate behavior.

Southpoint Access: How do you plan to address the achievement gap and improve academic outcomes for underperforming schools?

Mo Green: Achievement gaps are the result of a multitude of complex issues, some of which are opportunity gaps, school funding inequities, beliefs about students, and systemic racism. We must commit to identifying, examining and addressing those issues to lessen and eliminate gaps.

Every child that enters a school comes with their individual sets of gifts, identities, and challenges. Equity ensures that we are cognizant of that and use the understanding to create better academic outcomes.

To address these gaps, I will work with others to disaggregate and analyze data and determine the root causes for disparities in achievement outcomes. Then I will work to provide differentiated resources to address those outcomes and the root causes. Exactly what those resources need to be will vary – some schools may need lower class sizes, others may need more mental health professionals, others may need something else. We will also raise expectations that educators, parents, and communities have for students and that students have for themselves.

These strategies, and many others, are what we used when I was Superintendent of Guilford County Schools to raise student achievement, lower achievement gaps, and raise graduation rates.

Southpoint Access: What are your priorities for integrating technology in the classroom and preparing students for the future workforce?

Mo Green: Preparing students for the future workforce is a top priority for me. In order to meet this priority, initiatives will include, but are not limited to:

• Enhancing the focus on early literacy interventions from kindergarten to 3rd grade to ensure a solid foundation for reading ability. The early literacy efforts currently underway will continue, enhanced by additional efforts to provide engaging materials for students and by expanding those literacy efforts to struggling readers at the middle school level.
• Developing strategies to individualize instruction to meet each student where they are. There must be professional development and support for educators to continually grow in their ability to provide differentiated instruction. Technology must be seen as a tool, but not the only or even the best way, to enable educators to individualize their practice with students even further. We must also be mindful that students do not need to be bombarded with excessive social media while at school. We should also support tutoring programs and other individualized efforts in schools. Teacher assistants and adequately staffed schools with appropriate roles will also assist with individualized instruction with effective staff-to-student ratios.
• Working with the community college system, the university system, business leaders, and more to align high school curricula and opportunities to work and post-secondary opportunities that are right for each individual child.

Because I will always continue to listen and learn about the needs of local schools and districts, these priorities may change.

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