More than 100 Applicants So Far for Durham Schools Superintendent

Durham Public Schools on May 24 had received 109 applications from candidates hoping to take over as superintendent, according to a presentation from the Alma Advisory Group, which is helping DPS with the search process.

Demographics for the candidates include:

• 60% male, 37% female, 3% not identified.
• 69% Black, 17% white, 5% Latine, 4% not identified, 2% Asian, 1% multi-racial, 1% American Indian.
• 31 current or recent superintendents.
• At least 25 with North Carolina experience.

Of those applicants, 83 moved to resume review and about 50 went to the first-round interview.

During a recent Board of Education meeting, representatives from Alma discussed results of community and student surveys, which received more than 2,600 responses.

Slightly less than half of respondents (48%) indicated their household earns between $50,000 and $150,000 per year – just a bit higher than the county average of 47%.

Respondents identified the following strengths of their school district:

• Durham is progressive, vibrant, and diverse.
• The district has made steady academic progress on math and English language arts as it reduces the number of low-performing schools.
• Durham prioritizes services for the whole child and innovating programming and resources. Examples include the culinary program, the Arts in Durham, health and sciences program at City of Medicine Academy, outdoor learning at DPS Hub Farm, co-located mental health services, therapy and counseling services.
• Focus on equity.
• Competitive wages and opportunities to grow.

Opportunities/weaknesses:

• Need to promote a culture of equity of care and opportunities across schools.
• Must improve parent engagement and participation.
• Aim for better inclusion of students with disabilities.
• Address achievement gaps.
• Improve diversity of students and teachers in AP classes.
• Increase retention of teachers and staff.
• Improve building maintenance and facilities, accessibility for students with disabilities.
• Communicate in a more timely fashion regarding school safety.
• Improve school lunch options.
• Rebuild trust of community.
• Strengthen district finances.

Top themes identified from this question: “Durham Public Schools will be successful if we accomplish these three things in the next five years:”

• Increase staff pay.
• Improve academics and close achievement gaps.
• Maintain and clean facilities, especially bathrooms.
• Increase academic achievement, including increasing rigor, making learning more engaging.

Skills community and staff want to see in the new superintendent:

• Clear communicator and collaborator.
• Excellent organization and project management.
• Understands district finances.
• Innovative problem solver.
• Reflective leader and continuous learning.

DPS leaders are set to hold the finalist round for the last two or three candidates during the week of June 22-28.

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