Across North Carolina, public schools are facing instability: unpredictable pay, stalled budgets, unfair bonus structures that leave Durham educators behind, and harmful policies like the expansion of private school vouchers and caps on funding for students with disabilities and English language learners that prevent our schools from getting what they need to support all of our students.

But here in Durham, we've persisted. As the Chair  of your Board of Education, I have led our schools in a different direction, one focused on equity, progress, and prioritizing our educators  even under the most difficult circumstances. I've fought for a landmark LGBTQIA-inclusive policy, helped secure a major school bond so that we could catch up on our capital needs after decades of neglect, and I’ve worked collaboratively with the Durham County Commission to secure record levels of local funding for our schools. I've championed raises for either classified or certified staff every single year, even during financially difficult years and in contrast to the pay freezes we saw in the late 2000's. Most importantly, I've led our district to achieving increased academic growth that outpaces charter schools and led to statewide  recognition as one of the top districts in post-pandemic academic recovery. We've also achieved greater equity through expanded access to advanced academic  programs and supporting students in earning over $72 million in scholarship dollars.

In a moment when so many districts are moving backward, I've been moving Durham forward. There's still a lot more work to do.