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Republican former state Supreme Court Justice Bob Orr crossed the aisle to help Democrat June Atkinson in her campaign for reelection as state Superintendent of Public Instruction. He recorded a robocall for her that went out to voters Friday.
Orr, who ran for governor in the GOP primary four years ago, represented Atkinson in her successful suit against Gov. Bev Perdue to be able to run the state Department of Public Instruction. A transcript of the call below.
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Walter Dalton said he believes the state superintendent of public instruction should be appointed by the governor, rather than directly elected by the voters.
“That's a change in my position,'' Dalton told a meeting of editors and reporters of The News and Observer. “I have generally respected the vote of the people.''
But Dalton said he has seen so much divided leadership on education, that he thinks it would be better for the state for the position to become appointed. In doing so, Dalton follows the lead of numerous studies and commissions that have said the current education system is too divided between the governor, the superintendent, and the State Board of Education.
State Superintendent of Public Instruction June Atkinson and Wake School Board member John Tedesco met Monday in Concord for their first debate of the campaign season.
The N.C. Alliance for Public Charter Schools invited the candidates to answer questions during a lunch break at its convention. Former State School Board Chairman Howard Lee moderated.
Atkinson, the incumbent Democrat, and Tedesco, a Republican, answered questions about vocational education, the federal government's role in education, and charter school funding.
Nearly two years later, Wake County school board member John Tedesco is still facing fallout over having called fellow board member Debra Goldman a "prom queen" during a heated public exchange.
Richard Alexander's campaign has brought up the "prom queen" remark in its bid to defeat Tedesco in Tuesday's Republican Party runoff for state schools superintendent. The remark is an issue considering that Goldman is the GOP nominee for state auditor.
Apparently the worst thing you can say about someone in a Republican primary is that they remind you of Democratic Gov. Bev Perdue. That is John Tedesco says about his opponent Richard Alexander in his web video. Tedesco and Alexander face each next month in the GOP primary for superintendent of public instruction. The connection? Both want to diminish the office of superintendent of public instruction.
UPDATED: Wake County school board member John Tedesco is skipping today's board meeting to attend a debate for his bid for state schools superintendent.
At the start of today's work session, school board chairman Kevin Hill said Tedesco expressed his regrets that he couldn't come because of a prior commitment. That prior commitment is a Council of State debate for Republican Primary candidates in Winston-Salem sponsored by the Forsyth County Republican Men’s Club, NC Tea Party and Wake Forest College.
The N.C. Association of School Administrators is sponsoring candidate forums on March 29 at the Raleigh Convention Center for gubernatorial candidates and candidates for state Superintendent of Public Instruction.
The gubernatorial forum will be held from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. An hourlong forum for school superintendent hopefuls will follow.
Rick Glazier is dropping his bid for state superintendent, deciding instead to seek re-election to the state House and avoid a messy Democratic primary with incumbent June Atkinson.
Glazier, a veteran Democratic lawmaker, filed paperwork to run for superintendent earlier this month against Atkinson, who he criticized for not opposing Republican education budget cuts more forcefully.
According to a statement, he changed his mind at the behest of state Democratic Party leaders who encouraged him to remain in the House amid other major party departures, including House Minority Leader Joe Hackney.
Republican Richard Alexander, a former small-business owner from Union County, is running for state Superintendent of Public Instruction.
Alexander says he'll cut the state Department of Public Instruction budget by 60 percent in his first two years and return the savings to local districts.
He joins teacher Ray Martin, Wake County school board member John Tedesco, and Union County school board member David Scholl in the Republican primary pool.
State Rep. Rick Glazier says he's still running for state Superintendent of Public Instruction, despite rumors that he was reconsidering re-election to the House.
The rumors were sparked after state Rep. Diane Parfitt, a fellow Democrat double-bunked with Glazier in redistricting, announced she was not running.
Glazier says he's making a formal annoucement Thursday in Fayetteville, and wasn't sure how the rumors got started.
"I have never changed my plans or mind," he said in an e-mail.
He will challenge incumbent Democrat June Atkinson in a primary.
