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North Carolina Schools Chief Running For Lieutenant Governor

State Superintendent Mark Johnson has announced his candidacy for Lieutenant Governor. Photo: North Carolina Department of Public Instruction

State Superintendent Mark Johnson is throwing his hat into the ring to be North Carolina's next Lieutenant Governor. He announced his candidacy on Tuesday.

Johnson is currently in charge of the state's public schools. He's joining a crowded field of candidates looking to replace Lt. Gov. Dan Forest, who can't seek re-election due to term limits. Forest has entered the race for governor.

Johnson favors school choice and drew some criticism when he redirected state funds to buy computers for teachers. He also opposed mass teacher protests in Raleigh that caused many schools to be closed.

During Johnson's tenure, the superintendent's position actually increased in power after a 2016 law shifted responsibilities away from the state education board.

But Johnson said in a release that he's received pushback from establishment politicians and bureaucrats.

As lieutenant governor, he would preside over the Senate and sit as a member of the State Board of Education.

Neal Charnoff joined 88.5 WFDD as Morning Edition host in 2014. Raised in the Catskill region of upstate New York, he graduated from Sarah Lawrence College in 1983. Armed with a liberal arts degree, Neal was fully equipped to be a waiter. So he prolonged his arrested development bouncing around New York and L.A. until discovering that people enjoyed listening to his voice on the radio. After a few years doing overnight shifts at a local rock station, Neal spent most of his career at Vermont Public Radio. He began as host of a nightly jazz program, where he was proud to interview many of his idols, including Dave Brubeck and Sonny Rollins. Neal graduated to the news department, where he was the local host for NPR's All Things Considered for 14 years. In addition to news interviews and features, he originated and produced the Weekly Conversation On The Arts, as well as VPR Backstage, which profiled theater productions around the state. He contributed several stories to NPR, including coverage of a devastating ice storm. Neal now sees the value of that liberal arts degree, and approaches life with the knowledge that all subjects and all art forms are connected to each other. Neal and his wife Judy are enjoying exploring North Carolina and points south. They would both be happy to never experience a Vermont winter again.

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