Welcome to the Woods, Babe. Mark Johnson Is Running for Higher Office

Coy, boy.

Mark Johnson, who since 2016 has been NC's controversial Superintendent of Public Instruction, as late as last Friday was saying he was definitely going to run for office again in 2020, but for what he couldn't say yet. There are offices higher than Superintendent that might benefit from his freshness, said his spokesman, Jonathan Felts (who also likes to be called "Johnson's political consigliere"). Maybe lieutenant governor. Maybe even governor. "...Change is needed at the top here in North Carolina. Read into that what you will," Felts emailed the WRAL on Saturday.

Today we know. Johnson's running to follow Dan Forest into the Office of the Lieutenant Governor. He will appear on next March's Republican primary ballot along with a host of others (see below).

For months Johnson has refused to say whether he would run for reelection. We all thought the coyness had to do with the rocky ride he's had as superintendent. According to the NandO,

The last three years have seen Johnson lobby for school choice and personalized learning. He’s redirected state funds to purchase computers for teachers, a process which has drawn complaints from critics about the process used and the money spent. ("Report: Thousands of Mark Johnson's iPads are gathering dust in Raleigh")

Over the last several months, Johnson has faced scrutiny over his decision to award an $8.3 million contract to Istation to test the reading skills of K-3 students. He bypassed the recommendations of an evaluation committee to use a different vendor, accusing the group of using a flawed process to explain his actions. 

Johnson has fought with the N.C. Association of Educators over his statements about teacher pay, his support for charter schools and his opposition to the last two mass teacher protests that caused schools to be closed while educators marched on lawmakers in Raleigh.

Kind of a tool.

A smug tool. He's a lawyer from Forsyth. Was in his first term as a member of the Forsyth School Board when he decided to run for superintendent of the whole state in 2016 against long-time incumbent June Atkinson. Before that, he had taught public school for two years. Slim credentials for such a show pony. Johnson's a photo-op legend in just three years. He has his photo taken a lot -- holding books, looking over the shoulders of children, grinning, grinning, grinning.



The Republican Primary Field for Lt Gov

In addition to Mark Johnson, these are the announced Republican candidates (as compiled by T. Heung Hui):

▪ Buddy Bengel, New Bern, a businessman and owner of the Morehead City Marlins baseball team.

▪ Former U.S. Rep. Renee Ellmers who served three terms in Congress before losing a GOP primary in 2016. 

▪ Deborah Cochran, former Mount Airy mayor. 

▪ Former state Rep. Scott Stone, Mecklenburg County. 

▪ Mark Robinson, Greensboro. 

▪ Greg Gebhardt, Holly Springs, a NC National Guard solider.

The Democratic Primary Field for Lt Gov

▪ State Rep. Yvonne Holley, Raleigh, in her fourth term in the NC House.

▪ State Sen. Terry Van Duyn, Asheville, a member of the legislature since 2014. 

▪ Hoke County Commissioner Allen Thomas. 

▪ Bill Toole, a Charlotte lawyer and a former chairman of the Gaston County Democratic Party. 

▪ State Rep. Chaz Beasley, Charlotte, serving his second term.

If You Underestimate This Race, We Will LOSE Public Education

Message from Jen Mangrum, candidate for Superintendent of NC Public Education:

Fellow North Carolinians,

So we are in a very bad place. There aren’t enough nurses, mental health providers, or social workers in our schools; our schools aren’t sufficiently safe or equitable; teachers are paying for basic supplies out of pocket; many personnel aren’t making a living wage and cannot retire with dignity; and young people aren’t graduating with the skills they need to survive in the current economy. And Mark Johnson doesn’t care to fix any of these problems, because he only has two years’ experience in the classroom, he turns his nose up at teachers and education experts, and his political philosophy boils down to investing LESS in our communities and MORE in corporations. 

In contrast, I am an educator -- a lifelong one. I have spent more years in the classroom than all of my opponents combined. Teachers are supporting me in the thousands, because they know I’m with them. I have a dream that every child in this state will one day have all the tools and support they need to be a healthy, happy, and productive members of their communities.

I really need you. And I need you now. March 3rd, 2020 (the date of the Democratic Primary) is approaching at what feels like warp speed. Mark Johnson, NC’s Superintendent, is on track to raising $1,000,000 for his reelection campaign -- and it’s no surprise. Phil Berger and the Republicans want to control public education so that they can starve it, promote private options, & influence what knowledge gets passed on to future generations (and at what price).

But I can’t save public education alone. While I’m far AHEAD of my primary opponents in terms of fundraising, I’m way BEHIND Johnson. That’s why I need YOU and your generous financial support. My team CANNOT beat Berger and Johnson without a full-time campaign manager and, eventually, TV ads. Raising money can be difficult at a time when there are so many other crucial political races going on. But I promise you, this race is just as crucial as any other in our state. Please consider donating what you can & tell everyone you know about the endangered state of public education in North Carolina. Young people deserve better, and democracy depends on better.

Sincerely,

Jen Mangrum

Quick link to Mangrum's donor page: https://www.jenmangrumfornc.com/donate 

North Carolina Teachers Are About to Paddle Some Bad Boys

Next Wednesday, thousands of North Carolina public school teachers will march in Raleigh, demanding increased funding for what they do to improve all our futures in this state. They are animated by what the Republican General Assembly under the control of Berger/Moore did during the last several years:

The N.C. Teaching Fellows program was eliminated, textbook funding cut by $77 million, classroom supply funding sliced by $45 million and extra pay for master’s and advanced degrees stripped away, while millions were diverted to private schools through the state voucher programs.

Senate President Phil Berger calls them "far-left" agitators who need to stay home. Fellow Republican and State Superintendent of Public Instruction Mark Johnson, whose major job should be support for teachers, urged them to cancel their march next Wednesday and pick a day in June instead. Which prompted a response from a Durham school teacher who happens to be both Republican and a Southern Baptist:

“You, of all people should be supporting us, not asking us to sit back and just take what is thrown at us," teacher Angela Coffman wrote to Johnson. "You can choose to stand with us and fight for what is right or you can choose to continue belittling us, making us feel we are not worth fighting for.”

 We know from recent history in other states that when public school teachers get stirred up, their stirring can create a vortex of trouble for the People in Power. Their cause is just, their anger is righteous, and their hour is coming round next Wednesday in the streets of Raleigh.