New State Superintendent Mark Johnson Begins Listening Tour of Schools

North Carolina's new Superintendent of Public Instruction starts his listening tour in Forsyth County Friday.

Republican Mark Johnson will visit Glenn High School in Kernersville to meet with teachers, part of his NC Education and Innovation Tour. The Department of Instruction says the school has made significant progress over the past two years moving its School Performance Grade up a full letter grade.

The event is closed to the media, but a briefing is expected following the event.

Johnson is a former teacher and is among the youngest statewide elected officials in the country. He won the race against longtime incumbent and Democrat June Atkinson last November.

After the election, the General Assembly passed a law that shifts some powers from the State Board of Education to his office. But a temporary restraining order has put the law on hold.

Johnson's visit to Forsyth County will bring him back to his home district. He previously served on the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Board of Education and was an attorney for a local company.

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