Five candidates are running for the Republican nomination for State Superintendent. Dave DeWitt reports that the race will come down to the last days.
Dave DeWitt: The five candidates suffer from a bad case of poor name recognition. Richard Alexander, Mark Crawford, Ray Earnest Martin, John Tedesco and David Scholl are not well-known statewide.
Of the five, Tedesco is the most recognizable, especially in the Triangle. He’s on the Wake County School Board and has been one of the most outspoken members during the controversy over student assignment.
Alexander says his goal as State Superintendent would be to eliminate the position. He wants to give more decision-making power to local education officials.
Scholl is a member of the Union County School Board and says he will work to employ more technology in the classroom.
Crawford spent two years in the state house and is a lecturer at Western Carolina.
Martin is a public school teacher. He wants to pay teachers more, and hold them more accountable.
Last month, in the only major poll taken in the race, Public Policy Polling found 66 percent of voters undecided. The only Democrat running is the incumbent, June Atkinson.