Durham Community Invited to Help in Superintendent Search

The Durham Public Schools Board of Education is forming a community panel to engage with top finalists in the search for a new superintendent.

“The Board has decided to incorporate community input and voice at the finalist stage while maintaining the confidentiality of our candidates,” said Bettina Umstead, board chair. “To achieve this, we are forming a community panel to engage with our top two or three finalists during the selection process. We welcome anyone interested in participating on the panel to volunteer.”

Who Can Volunteer?

The panel is open to DPS students, parents and caregivers, certified and classified staff, principals, central services administrators, and community members.

Selection Process

The board will select a panel of 12 people, focusing on individuals with interests related to DPS’s priority areas: academic achievement, whole child support, staff recruitment and retention, finance and operations, and community engagement.

Panelist Responsibilities

Panelists will:

1. Participate in two virtual planning sessions during the week of June 10.
2. Meet with the finalists in person on interview day.
3. Provide feedback to the board via survey.
4. Maintain confidentiality of the finalists.

How to Sign Up

Nominations for the panel, either for oneself or others, must be submitted by noon on Friday, May 31. Those not on the panel can still contribute by submitting interview questions for consideration by the same deadline.

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