Hundreds of teachers, administrators, school staff, students, parents, and other citizens interested in the future of public education in North Carolina turned out to see Superintendent of Public Instruction Mo Green at Mount Tabor High School on Monday night.
Green is currently touring the state and making stops in eight regions to hear from constituents in a series of listening sessions called “Mo Wants to Know”. Feedback from these sessions will be incorporated into the next statewide strategic plan for public education, which Green hopes will help North Carolina become the best state in the nation to go to school in. Mount Tabor was the host for the Piedmont Triad session on Monday – which happened to be Green’s birthday – and community advocates from all over the region turned out to make their voices heard.
The session was centered on identifying four key concepts: what public schools are already doing well that should be uplifted and celebrated, what problems are on the horizon and the solutions that might address them, what big ideas average citizens have that could enhance the educational experience, and what actions advocates for public education can commit to right now to make things better.
A crowded auditorium was never at a loss for words as Green sent microphones around the room. Speakers from the community voiced support for investment in trade apprenticeships, special education, the arts, physical and mental health services, multilingual family communications, new assessment models beyond traditions testing, and retaining highly qualified staff through fair compensation, just to name a few things.
Green said he, the State Board of Education, and the Department of Public Instruction would use the insights from the session to help shape strategic planning in the coming months, but he also emphasized the need for attendees to keep speaking out. Much of what North Carolina public schools are able to do depends on what funding is made available from the General Assembly, so it’s essential for advocates of public schools to contact their legislators and raise their concerns.
While challenges are sure to continue arising in the coming years, Green is confident that if the public education community remains dedicated to the cause of equipping every child for a successful future, that future is sure to be bright.
“I want to thank you for being here and for hanging in there with us,” Green told the crowd. “We can turn our vision of having the very best public education system in the entire country into reality if we’re willing to do it together.”
“Mo Wants to Know” is also accepting community input online at https://www.dpi.nc.gov/about-dpi/state-superintendent-public-instruction/mo-wants-know.