imported>JJMC89 bot III: Moving :Category:North Carolina Superintendents of Public Instruction to :Category:North Carolina superintendents of public instruction per Wikipedia:Categories for discussion/Speedy

2025-02-20T22:56:21Z

Moving Category:North Carolina Superintendents of Public Instruction to Category:North Carolina superintendents of public instruction per Wikipedia:Categories for discussion/Speedy

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{{Short description|American politician}}
{{Infobox officeholder
|name = June Atkinson
|image = June Atkinson.png
|caption = Atkinson in 2016
|office = [[North Carolina Superintendent of Public Instruction]]
|governor = [[Mike Easley]]<br />[[Bev Perdue]]<br />[[Pat McCrory]]
|term_start = November 3, 2004
|term_end = January 1, 2017
|predecessor = [[Patricia N. Willoughby|Patricia Willoughby]]
|successor = [[Mark Johnson (North Carolina politician)|Mark Johnson]]
|birth_date = {{birth date and age|1948|8|19}}
|birth_place = [[Moneta, Virginia]], U.S.
|death_date =
|death_place =
|party = [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]]
|spouse = William Gurley
|education = [[Radford University]] {{small|([[Bachelor of Science|BS]])}}<br />[[Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University]] {{small|([[Master of Science|MS]])}}<br />[[North Carolina State University]] {{small|([[Doctor of Education|EdD]])}}
}}
'''June St. Clair Atkinson''' (born August 19, 1948) was elected [[North Carolina Superintendent of Public Instruction]] on November 3, 2004, in a race that was decided by the [[North Carolina General Assembly]] on August 23, 2005. She was re-elected in [[2008 North Carolina Council of State elections#Superintendent of Public Instruction |2008]] and [[2012 North Carolina Council of State election#Superintendent of Public Instruction|2012]].

As State Superintendent, Atkinson organized and managed the [[North Carolina Department of Public Instruction]] (DPI), and was secretary and Chief Administrative Officer of the [[North Carolina State Board of Education]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Chapter_115C |url=http://www.ncleg.net/EnactedLegislation/Statutes/PDF/ByArticle/Chapter_115C/Article_3.pdf |website=www.ncleg.net}}</ref> She was also an ex officio member of the [[North Carolina Council of State#Council of State|North Carolina Council of State]].

Atkinson was narrowly defeated in her bid for a fourth term by political newcomer [[Mark Johnson (North Carolina politician)|Mark Johnson]], losing the [[2016 North Carolina Council of State election#Superintendent of Public Instruction|2016 general election in North Carolina]] by about 1.2 percent,<ref>{{cite web |last1=Clasen-Kelly |first1=Fred |title=NC education superintendent: Johnson defeats incumbent Atkinson |url=https://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/politics-government/election/article113427538.html |website=The Charlotte Observer |publisher=The Charlotte Observer |accessdate=29 July 2018}}</ref> and left office on January 1, 2017. Atkinson was the longest-serving state superintendent in the country when she left office and she was also the first woman to be elected to that post in the State of North Carolina.<ref>{{cite web |title=Ousted NC superintendent on 33-year-old successor: 'How do I help an infant in public education?' |url=https://www.wral.com/ousted-nc-superintendent-on-successor-how-do-i-help-an-infant-in-public-education-/16236296/ |website=WRAL |publisher=Capitol Broadcasting Company, Inc. |accessdate=29 July 2018}}</ref>

==Early life and education==
{{BLP unreferenced section|date=June 2022}}
Atkinson grew up in rural [[Bedford County, Virginia]], where she attended public schools and graduated from [[Staunton River High School]], [[Moneta, Virginia]], in 1966. She received a B.S. in Business Education from [[Radford University]] in 1969, an M.S. in Vocational and Technical Education from [[Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University]] in 1974, and a Doctorate in Educational Leadership and Policy from [[North Carolina State University]] in 1996.<ref>{{Cite web |title=June Atkinson |url=https://iel.org/june-atkinson/ |access-date=2024-12-10 |website=Institute for Educational Leadership |language=en-US}}</ref> After graduating from Radford, Atkinson taught high school in [[Roanoke, Virginia]], and [[Charlotte, North Carolina]]. In Charlotte, Atkinson's teaching assignment required that she work with business people to find meaningful employment for her students.

==Career==
Atkinson worked for the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction for nearly 28 years (1976–2004) as a chief consultant and director in the areas of business education, career and technical education, and instructional services. A former business education teacher, Atkinson has been involved in instruction and curriculum development throughout her career.

Atkinson has made presentations to business and other educational groups in 43 states and throughout [[North Carolina]]. She is past president of the National Business Education Association, and past president of the Southern Regional Education Board's High Schools that Work in 1995-96 and 1996–97. Atkinson was elected by her colleagues to represent them as President of the National Association of State Directors of Career and Technical Education Consortium for 2001–2003.

[[File:June Atkinson 2012.jpg|thumb|Atkinson speaking at a forum on [[STEM]] education in 2012]]
In 2009, Atkinson sued Gov. [[Beverly Perdue]] after the Governor appointed a Chief Executive Officer of the Public School-System, reducing Atkinson to an "ambassador for education."<ref>[http://www.wral.com/news/local/politics/story/5615899/ Mildwruf, Bruce. "Atkinson: Room for only one education chief"]</ref> Atkinson contested under the [[Constitution of North Carolina]]<ref>[http://www.newsobserver.com/news/story/1469559.html#none Bonner, Lynn. "Atkinson fights to lead DPI."] [[News & Observer]]</ref> and a [[Wake County, North Carolina]] superior court judge ruled in her favor on July 17, 2009.<ref>[http://www.newsobserver.com/news/education/story/1611434.html News & Observer: Atkinson wins right to run public schools] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090719065324/http://www.newsobserver.com/news/education/story/1611434.html |date=2009-07-19 }}</ref>

Ahead of the 2012 general election, Atkinson was endorsed by the [[News and Observer]] editorial board, which wrote: "Test scores among the state’s public school students have improved, and Atkinson, a Democrat, is a strong advocate for ample education resources. Wake County school board member John Tedesco, Atkinson’s Republican challenger, had yard signs with the slogan 'Our students deserve better.' Well, yes. Tedesco no doubt is sincere in wanting to see all students succeed, but his policies in Wake would have cut against the interests of students from poor backgrounds. He also has played a role in turning the Wake board into a partisan battleground in an effort to advance GOP fortunes."<ref>[http://www.newsobserver.com/2012/11/01/2453012/top-council-talent.html News & Observer endorsements for Council of State] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121103205614/http://www.newsobserver.com/2012/11/01/2453012/top-council-talent.html |date=2012-11-03 }}</ref>

==Family==
{{BLP unreferenced section|date=June 2022}}
Atkinson is married to William Gurley, a [[Cary, North Carolina]] orthodontist and former assistant professor at the [[University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill]] School of Dentistry. She has one sister, two nephews and one niece. She is a member of The [[United Methodist Church]].

== Electoral history ==
{| class="wikitable"
! colspan="4" |North Carolina Superintendent of Public Instruction Democratic Primary Election, 2004
|-
|'''Party'''
|'''Candidate'''
|'''Votes'''
|'''%'''
|-
|Democratic
|'''Marshall Stewart'''
|135,348
|35.19
|-
|Democratic
|'''June Atkinson'''
|132,041
|34.33
|-
|Democratic
|J. B. Buxton
|117,274
|30.49
|}
{| class="wikitable"
! colspan="4" |North Carolina Superintendent of Public Instruction Democratic Primary Runoff Election, 2004
|-
|'''Party'''
|'''Candidate'''
|'''Votes'''
|'''%'''
|-
|Democratic
|'''June Atkinson'''
|44,175
|55.17
|-
|Democratic
|Marshall Stewart
|35,893
|44.83
|}
{| class="wikitable"
! colspan="4" |North Carolina Superintendent of Public Instruction Election, 2004
|-
|'''Party'''
|'''Candidate'''
|'''Votes'''
|'''%'''
|-
|Democratic
|'''June Atkinson'''
|1,655,719
|50.13
|-
|Republican
|Bill Fletcher
|1,647,184
|49.87
|}
{| class="wikitable"
! colspan="4" |North Carolina Superintendent of Public Instruction Democratic Primary Election, 2008
|-
|'''Party'''
|'''Candidate'''
|'''Votes'''
|'''%'''
|-
|Democratic
|'''June St. Clair Atkinson (inc.)'''
|660,556
|52.86
|-
|Democratic
|Eddie Davis
|589,126
|47.14
|}
{| class="wikitable"
! colspan="4" |North Carolina Superintendent of Public Instruction Election, 2008
|-
|'''Party'''
|'''Candidate'''
|'''Votes'''
|'''%'''
|-
|Democratic
|'''June St. Clair Atkinson (inc.)'''
|2,177,934
|53.66
|-
|Republican
|Richard Morgan
|1,881,075
|46.34
|}
{| class="wikitable"
! colspan="4" |North Carolina Superintendent of Public Instruction Election, 2012
|-
|'''Party'''
|'''Candidate'''
|'''Votes'''
|'''%'''
|-
|Democratic
|'''June Atkinson (inc.)'''
|2,336,441
|54.24
|-
|Republican
|John Tedesco
|1,971,049
|45.76
|}
{| class="wikitable"
! colspan="4" |North Carolina Superintendent of Public Instruction Democratic Primary Election, 2016
|-
|'''Party'''
|'''Candidate'''
|'''Votes'''
|'''%'''
|-
|Democratic
|'''June Atkinson (inc.)'''
|776,302
|79.78
|-
|Democratic
|Henry Pankey
|196,703
|20.22
|}

{| class="wikitable"
! colspan="4" |North Carolina Superintendent of Public Instruction Election, 2016<ref>{{cite web |title=11/08/2016 OFFICIAL GENERAL ELECTION RESULTS - STATEWIDE |url=https://er.ncsbe.gov/?election_dt=11/08/2016&county_id=0&office=COS&contest=0 |website=North Carolina State Board of Elections & Ethics Enforcement |publisher=North Carolina State Board of Elections & Ethics Enforcement |accessdate=29 July 2018}}</ref>
|-
|'''Party'''
|'''Candidate'''
|'''Votes'''
|'''%'''
|-
|Democratic
|'''June Atkinson (inc.)'''
|2,231,903
|49.40
|-
|Republican
|Mark Johnson
|2,285,783
|50.60
|}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
* [http://www.drjuneatkinson.com/ June Atkinson re-election campaign website]
* [http://ncdp.org/ North Carolina Democratic Party]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20090206202034/http://projects.newsobserver.com/under_the_dome/atkinson_time_to_decide_who_runs_schools Controversy Regarding Atkinson's Position]

{{s-start}}
{{s-off}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Patricia N. Willoughby]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[North Carolina Superintendent of Public Instruction]]|years=2004–2017}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Mark Johnson (North Carolina politician)|Mark Johnson]]}}
{{s-end}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Atkinson, June}}
[[Category:North Carolina superintendents of public instruction]]
[[Category:Women in North Carolina politics]]
[[Category:North Carolina Democrats]]
[[Category:Radford University alumni]]
[[Category:Virginia Tech alumni]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:People from Bedford County, Virginia]]
[[Category:1948 births]]
[[Category:21st-century American women politicians]]
[[Category:21st-century American women educators]]
[[Category:21st-century American educators]]

June Atkinson - Revision history

imported>JJMC89 bot III: Moving :Category:North Carolina Superintendents of Public Instruction to :Category:North Carolina superintendents of public instruction per Wikipedia:Categories for discussion/Speedy