The Guilford County Board of Education does not yet know who will succeed Superintendent Mo Green when he departs for the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation next month—-they just approved the ad at Tuesday’s meeting—but they know what they want him or her to be:
Board members asked association representatives to include in the job advertisement wording about Say Yes to Education and a desire to find a candidate with the demonstrated ability to tackle inequity related to race and socioeconomic status, among other things.
“That is a chronic, persistent issue in Guilford County schools,” board member Deena Hayes-Greene said about achievement gaps and other racial disparities in the school system. It’s important to have a leader who understands racial dynamics in education, she said.
The board doesn’t just want a place holder for superintendent, board member Sandra Alexander said. It should be clear to candidates that addressing inequity is a priority, she said.
“The achievement gap is the civil rights issue of this decade,” Alexander said.
In other words, a social justice champion instead of an educator. And for those unfamiliar with GCS-Greensboro politics, Deena Hayes-Greene has long been the board’s race baiter who also happens to be chair of the troubled International Civil rights Center and Museum.
