Seal of the North Carolina Board of Education

The North Carolina State Board of Education, established by Article 9 of the

Constitution of North Carolina The Constitution of the State of North Carolina governs the structure and function of the state government of North Carolina, one of the U.S. states; it is the highest legal document for the state and subjugates North Carolina law. (Like all U. ...

, supervises and administers the public school systems of

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

. The board sets policy and general procedures for public school systems across the state, including teacher pay and qualifications, course content, testing requirements, and manages state education funds. The North Carolina State Board of Education consists of the

Lieutenant Governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...

State Treasurer In the state and territorial governments of the United States, 54 of the 56 states and territories have the executive position of treasurer. New York abolished the office of New York State Treasurer in 1926, in which the duties were transfer ...

, and 11 members appointed by the

Governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...

and confirmed by the

General Assembly A general assembly or general meeting is a meeting of all the members of an organization or shareholders of a company. Specific examples of general assembly include: Churches * General Assembly (presbyterian church), the highest court of presby ...

for eight-year terms (three at-large, eight from designated educational districts across the state). The

North Carolina Superintendent of Public Instruction The North Carolina superintendent of public instruction is an elected constitutional officer in the executive branch of the government of the U.S. state of North Carolina. As the head of the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, the ...

serves as the board's secretary. In 2009, Gov.

Beverly Perdue Beverly Marlene Eaves Perdue (née Moore; January 14, 1947) is an American businesswoman, politician, and member of the Democratic Party who served as the 73rd governor of North Carolina from 2009 to 2013. She was the first female governor o ...

asked the board "to redefine the duties of its chair to include the responsibilities of the newly created Chief Executive Officer, who will manage operations of the public school system." Superintendent June Atkinson sued the governor and the judge ruled that the superintendent had the constitutional authority to run the system.

History

In 1868 North Carolina ratified a constitution which provided for a system of public schools to be led by a

Superintendent of Public Instruction A state education agency or state department of education is the state-level government organization within each U.S. state or U.S. territory, territory responsible for education, including providing information, resources, and technical assistan ...

and a State Board of Education. Under this framework, the board comprised the governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, state treasurer, state auditor, superintendent of public works (an office eliminated in 1873), attorney general, and the superintendent of public instruction. It was tasked by the constitution to "make all needful rules and regulations in relation to Free Public Schools and the Educational Fund of the State." In 1901 the legislature created an equalizing fund to subsidize education expenses in counties with fewer resources. The board was responsible for the fund until the duty of administering it was transferred to a new commission in 1927. In 1943 the

North Carolina General Assembly The North Carolina General Assembly is the Bicameralism, bicameral legislature of the Government of North Carolina, state government of North Carolina. The legislature consists of two chambers: the North Carolina Senate, Senate and the North Ca ...

amended the constitution to modify the board's membership to comprise the governor, lieutenant governor, state treasurer, superintendent, and a delegate from each of the state's congressional districts. From 1943 to 1954, by informal arrangement, the lieutenant governor served as the board's chairman. The new constitution of 1971 established that the board was to "supervise and administer a free public school system and the educational funds provided for its support ..and shall make all needed rules and regulations in relation, thereto". The document further revised the board's membership to consist of the lieutenant governor, state treasurer, and 11 gubernatorial appointees (one from each of the state's eight education districts and three others). The superintendent was removed from the board and made its chief administrator and secretary.

Members

Current members

Below is a table of the current board members.About Us - Board Members
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The Secretary to the State Board

Mo Green Maurice O. "Mo" Green (born 1966/1967) has served as the 22nd North Carolina Superintendent of Public Instruction, Superintendent of Public Instruction of North Carolina since January 1, 2025. He was elected to that office for a four-year term in ...

(

since 2025)

Notable former members

* Bill Cobey (2013–2018) * Phil Kirk (1997–2003) * Howard Nathaniel Lee (2003-2009) * Dennis A. Wicker * Patricia Willoughby (2001-2019)

References

Works cited

* * {{Authority control Government of North Carolina

Education Education is the transmission of knowledge and skills and the development of character traits. Formal education occurs within a structured institutional framework, such as public schools, following a curriculum. Non-formal education als ...

Public education in North Carolina