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North Carolina Superintendent of Public Instruction
| North Carolina Superintendent of Public Instruction | |
 | |
| General information | |
| Office Type: | Partisan |
| Office website: | Official Link |
| Compensation: | $146,421 |
| 2025 FY Budget: | $11,949,016,128 |
| Term limits: | None |
| Structure | |
| Length of term: | 4 years |
| Authority: | North Carolina Constitution, Article III, Section 7 |
| Selection Method: | Elected |
| Current Officeholder(s) | |
North Carolina Superintendent of Public Instruction
Mo Green | |
| Elections | |
| Next election: | November 7, 2028 |
| Last election: | November 5, 2024 |
| Other North Carolina Executive Offices | |
| Governor • Lieutenant Governor • Secretary of State • Attorney General • Treasurer • Auditor • Superintendent of Education • Agriculture Commissioner • Insurance Commissioner • Natural Resources Commissioner • Labor Commissioner • Public Service Commission | |
The North Carolina Superintendent of Public Instruction is an elected state executive position in the North Carolina state government. The superintendent is the secretary and chief administrative officer of the State Board of Education, the administrative head of the Department of Public Instruction, and a member of the Council of State.[1] The superintendent and State Board of Education make up the leadership of the Department of Public Instruction, which is responsible for implementing the state's public school laws for pre-K through 12th-grade public schools.[2]
The superintendent is elected by a statewide vote during presidential election years and serves for a four-year term.
Current officeholder
The current North Carolina Superintendent of Public Instruction is Mo Green (D). Green assumed office in 2025.
Authority
The superintendent of public instruction's establishment and term of office are derived from Article III, Section 7 and Article IX, Section 4 of the North Carolina Constitution.
Article III, Section 7:
| A Secretary of State, an Auditor, a Treasurer, a Superintendent of Public Instruction, an Attorney General, a Commissioner of Agriculture, a Commissioner of Labor, and a Commissioner of Insurance shall be elected by the qualified voters of the State in 1972 and every four years thereafter, at the same time and places as members of the General Assembly are elected. Their term of office shall be four years and shall commence on the first day of January next after their election and continue until their successors are elected and qualified.[3] |
Article IX, Section 4:
| The Superintendent of Public Instruction shall be the secretary and chief administrative officer of the State Board of Education.[3] |
Qualifications
Article VI, Section 6 of the North Carolina Constitution establishes the qualifications of the office:
| Every qualified voter in North Carolina who is 21 years of age, except as in this Constitution disqualified, shall be eligible for election by the people to office.[3] |
- Qualified North Carolina voter
- At least 21 years of age
Vacancies
Details of vacancy appointments are addressed under Chapter 115C, Article 3 of the North Carolina General Statutes.
If a vacancy occurs in the office, the governor appoints another to serve until a successor is elected and qualified. Every such vacancy shall be filled by election at the first election for members of the General Assembly that occurs more than 30 days after the vacancy has taken place. If a vacancy occurs during the final year of the outgoing incumbent's term, the governor appoints a successor to serve the remainder of the unexpired term. The governor may also choose to appoint an interim officer to serve until a successor is appointed or elected.[4]
Duties
The superintendent of public instruction is the secretary and chief administrative officer of the State Board of Education, the administrative head of the Department of Public Instruction, and a member of the Council of State.[1] The superintendent and State Board of Education make up the leadership of the Department of Public Instruction, which is responsible for implementing the state's public school laws for pre-K through 12th-grade public schools. The State Board of Education sets policy and general procedures, of which the superintendent oversees the implementation.[2]
The superintendent's duties as the administrative head of the Department of Public Instruction include, but are not limited to:[5]
- Directly supervising and administrating the public school system;
- Administering all rules and regulations established by the State Board of Education;
- Keeping the public informed regarding the needs of public schools through contact with administrators, personal appearances, and the press;
- Creating and administering special funds to manage nongovernmental grants in support of public education; and,
- Reporting statistics of the public schools, recommendations for their improvement, and suggested changes of school law to the governor biennially.
The superintendent's duties as secretary and administrative head of the State Board of Education include, but are not limited to:
- Keeping the board informed regarding developments in the public education field;
- Making a continuous program of comprehensive supervisory services available to public school administrators;
- Attending all meetings of the board and keeping the minutes of the board's proceedings; and,
- Collecting and organizing information regarding public schools and providing that information to the board, as needed.
Elections
The superintendent of public instruction in North Carolina is popularly elected every four years, in presidential election years. The term of office is four years and begins on the first day of January next after their election.[3]
2024
General election candidates
- Mo Green (Democratic Party) ✔
- Michele Morrow (Republican Party)
Did not make the ballot:
- James Carter (Independent) (Write-in)
= candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey
Democratic primary candidates
= candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey
Republican primary candidates
- Catherine Truitt (Incumbent)
- Michele Morrow ✔
= candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey
2020
General election candidates
- Jen Mangrum (Democratic Party)
- Catherine Truitt (Republican Party) ✔
= candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey Democratic primary candidates
= candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey Republican primary candidates
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Past elections
Divisions
Divisions and offices reporting to the superintendent of public instruction include:[6]
- General Counsel
- Chief Strategy Officer
- Residential Schools and ISD
- Equity and Innovation[7]
- Operations[8]
State budget
- See also: North Carolina state budget and finances
The budget for the Department of Public Instruction in Fiscal Year 2025 was $11,949,016,128.[9]
Compensation
- See also: Compensation of state executive officers
Article III, Section 9 of the North Carolina Constitution defines the method by which the superintendent's compensation is set:
| The officers whose offices are established by this Article shall at stated periods receive the compensation and allowances prescribed by law, which shall not be diminished during the time for which they have been chosen.[3] |
2023
In 2023, the officer's salary was $146,421, according to the Council of State Governments.[10]
2022
In 2022, the officer's salary was $146,421, according to the Council of State Governments.[11]
2021
In 2021, the superintendent received a salary of $136,699, according to the Council of State Governments.[12]
2020
In 2020, the superintendent received a salary of $133,365, according to the Council of State Governments.[13]
2019
In 2019, the superintendent received a salary of $127,561, according to the Council of State Governments.[14]
2018
In 2018, the superintendent received a salary of $127,561, according to the Council of State Governments.[15]
2017
In 2017, the superintendent received a salary of $127,561, according to the Council of State Governments.[16]
2016
In 2016, the superintendent received a salary of $125,676, according to the Council of State Governments.[17]
2015
In 2015, the superintendent received a salary of $125,676, according to the Council of State Governments.[18]
2014
In 2014, the superintendent received a salary of $124,676, according to the Council of State Governments.[19]
2013
In 2013, the superintendent received a salary of $124,676, according to the Council of State Governments.[20]
2010
In 2010, the superintendent received a salary of $123,198, according to the Council of State Governments.[21]
Historical officeholders
Note: Ballotpedia's state executive officials project researches state official websites for chronological lists of historical officeholders; information for the North Carolina Superintendent of Public Instruction has not yet been added because the information was unavailable on the relevant state official websites, or we are currently in the process of formatting the list for this office. If you have any additional information about this office for inclusion on this section and/or page, please email us.
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms North Carolina Superintendent of Public Instruction. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
Contact information
Physical address:
North Carolina Department of Public Instruction
301 N. Wilmington Street
Raleigh, NC 27601-2825
Mailing address:
6301 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, NC 27699-6301
Phone: 984-236-2100
See also
| North Carolina | State Executive Elections | News and Analysis |
|---|---|---|
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- North Carolina school districts
- North Carolina Department of Education
- North Carolina State Board of Education
- Public education in North Carolina
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Justia, "NC Gen Stat § 115C-19 (2019)," accessed Feb. 2, 2021
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, "About DPI," accessed Feb. 2, 2021
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 North Carolina State Legislature, "North Carolina State Constitution," accessed Feb. 1, 2021
- ↑ Justia, "NC Gen Stat § 115C-18 (2019)," accessed Feb. 2, 2021
- ↑ Justia, "NC Gen Stat § 115C-21 (2019)," accessed Feb. 2, 2021
- ↑ North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, "Organizational chart," accessed Feb. 2, 2021
- ↑ Also reports to the State Board of Education.
- ↑ Also reports to the State Board of Education.
- ↑ North Carolina General Assembly, "House Bill 259," accessed December 6, 2023
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "Book of the States 2023 Table 4.11: Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries," accessed January 21, 2025
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "Book of the States 2022 Table 4.11: Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries," provided to Ballotpedia by CSG personnel
- ↑ Issuu, "The Book of the States 2021," accessed September 28, 2022
- ↑ Issuu, "The Book of the States," Sept. 30, 2020
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries, 2019," accessed Jan. 27, 2021
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries, 2018," accessed Jan. 27, 2021
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries, 2017," accessed Jan. 27, 2021
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries, 2016," accessed August 27, 2016
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries, 2015," accessed August 27, 2016
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries," accessed December 3, 2014
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "Table 4.11 Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries," accessed January 31, 2014
- ↑ The Council of State Governments, "The Book of States 2010 Table 4.11," accessed April 23, 2011
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