NC schools superintendent to sue over job

RALEIGH — June Atkinson is prepared to sue over her role as North Carolina state schools superintendent.

A legal advocacy group said Thursday it plans to discuss a lawsuit it’s helping file for Atkinson. The North Carolina Institute for Constitutional Law plans to discuss the lawsuit
Friday. The group is led by former Supreme Court Justice Bob Orr.

Atkinson is elected statewide to the job but the State Board of Education has given her few powers to oversee the nearly 1.5 million-student system. The board last month appointed board
Chairman Bill Harrison to become chief executive officer of the schools, as requested by Gov. Beverly Perdue.

Atkinson told lawmakers a few weeks ago that voters who chose her as superintendent believe she’s supposed to manage the schools.

(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)