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Name: Catherine Truitt

Political party: Republican

Age as of March 5, 2024: 53

Campaign website and/or social media links: Catherinetruitt.com

Current occupation: Superintendent of Public Instruction

Professional experience: 10 years as a classroom teacher; 3 years as a turnaround coach in low-performing schools; Governor’s Senior Education Adviser; Associate VP of K-12 and University Partnerships at the UNC System Office; Chancellor of nonprofit Western Governors University NC.

Education: BA in English from University of Maryland, 1994; M.Ed. from the University of Washington, 1997

What offices have you run for or held before? Have you had any other notable government or civic involvement? I have not held any other political office.

What do you think is the biggest issue in North Carolina that you would be able to shape if elected?

The biggest education issue facing North Carolina’s students is the lost instructional time due to the pandemic. My team and I have worked tirelessly to provide student-level data to local school leaders so they can target interventions where students need them most. We know exactly what specific learning gaps students have so that teachers can personalize instruction to meet all students’ needs.

What do you think is or is not working well under the current office holder? If not, how would you change it?

I worked with the legislature to pass the Excellent Public Schools Act, which invested more than $100 million in professional learning for elementary school teachers in the Science of Reading.

The pre-pandemic trend of poor reading scores is a national problem caused by a move away from phonics instruction in early grades. Since fall of 2021, NC’s K-3 students’ reading scores, including African American, Hispanic, and American Indian students, have grown faster than the rest of the nation.

What would you do to strengthen public schools?

1. Devise a pay plan for teachers that allows for pathways to promotions within the classroom and greater pay.

2. Legislate statewide math policy framework that includes professional development for elementary teachers in math.

3. Change the mandatory school report card grading system to include more than just student performance on high-stakes testing. College and career readiness, chronic absenteeism and school climate/safety need to be part of how the state “grades” schools.

How would you help schools make up for students’ learning losses during the pandemic?

North Carolina students have seen two consecutive years of academic growth post-pandemic. This is attributed to teachers’ and students’ hard work as well as the data that NCDPI has provided to all local school leaders.

Providing student-level data to districts allowed educators to tailor interventions to student need. Summer learning and high-dosage tutoring are two other initiatives I have worked with the legislature to fund and implement. We must continue to allow students’ academic data to drive how and what we fund.

What role, if any, should schools play in promoting diversity and equity?

I define equity as giving all students what they need when they need it. It costs more to educate a student with special needs and so the state should provide an amount of funding specific to that student’s needs. Diversity of thought and life experience is beneficial in school settings and is naturally reflected in many parts of the state’s student population. Schools should be intentional about ensuring they are welcoming to all whether they are there to get an education or give one.

What should be done to address staff vacancies in your agency?

Most of NCDPI’s vacancies are in finance and information technology. In order to compete, we need to be able to offer salaries that line up with the private sector.

Is there an issue on which you disagree with your party? What is your position on that issue?

Historically, the Republican Party in North Carolina has not allowed traditional public schools to set their own academic calendars. Currently, the dates for the first and last days of school sit in statute and those dates mean that students take semester exams two to three weeks after Christmas break. There are also issues with lack of alignment with community colleges’ calendars, which adversely impacts students who are dually enrolled in high school and community college.