[SeeGov Enhanced] Durham School Board Picks New Chair, Vice Chair

Joy Harrell Goff succeeds Bettina Umstead as chair, while returning board member Xavier Cason is elected vice chair.

The Durham Public Schools Board of Education on Monday gathered for a special organizational meeting as it welcomed three new - and one returning - members to the dais.

During the meeting, which saw the swearing in of Nadeen Bir, Natalie Bent Kitaif, Gabrielle Rivero, and Xavier Cason, one of the first orders of business was to select a new chair and vice chair to guide the board for the next year.

Veteran board member Millicent Rogers got a nomination for chair from Wendell Tabb, who said: "This is a very important task for all of us here sitting on this dais, and it's very important that we all continue to lead with our heart. We lead with what we know is best for children in Durham Public Schools."

Kitaif, however, nominated Joy Harrell Goff - a choice that prevailed on a 5-2 vote. Goff succeeds Bettina Umstead, who lost her re-election bid to Bir in May. Cason was the uncontested choice for vice chair.

At Rogers' urging, the board also agreed to meet again this month to approve salary schedules to avoid retroactive pay for year-round educators.

Check out the reel from the meeting, captured by our partners at SeeGov:

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