Durham Public Schools superintendent gets contract extension after 1st evaluation

The Durham Public Schools Board of Education has added another year to Superintendent Anthony Lewis’ contract.

Lewis’ contract now runs to June 2029 after the school board voted unanimously Thursday, citing confidence in his leadership of the school system and the system’s growth over the last 16 months. The vote came after Lewis’ evaluation for the 2024-25 school year.

He took over Durham Public Schools last August with a four-year contract to 2028. The district has 57 schools serving over 29,000 students.

Board Chair Bettina Umstead said Lewis “arrived in the midst of adversity, bringing a willingness to do the difficult work we knew would be needed to keep student achievement, safety and security and fiscal stewardship at the forefront.”

Lewis joined the district after a year of turmoil between the Board of Education, teacher, staff and bus drivers over pay cuts and budget management, which revoked raises for many employees. The tension led to the resignation of then-Superintendent Pascal Mubenga last February. He was later hired as superintendent of public schools in Buffalo.

Over the past year, Lewis worked in the community alongside the board in negotiations with the Durham Association of Educators on a meet-and-confer agreement for salary increases, masters’ pay and solutions to chronic bus driver shortages.

This school year, 90% of Durham’s public schools saw growth, with over half of the district’s schools earning A, B or C grades, according to a news release.

Lewis told the board that he will “try to lean into all of the challenges.”

“I don’t work in isolation. Most importantly, it’s the people in the building, the folks that are closest to the students. That’s why I come to work every day to ensure that we are removing barriers, creating systems that support the work that they do,” he said.

The board also approved a one-time payment of $2,500 to an annuity of Lewis’ choice and 40 hours of annual compensatory time.

This story was originally published December 12, 2025 at 5:27 PM.

Kristen Johnson

The News & Observer

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Kristen Johnson is a local government reporter covering Durham for The News & Observer. She previously covered Cary and western Wake County. Prior to coming home to the Triangle, she reported for The Fayetteville Observer and spent time covering politics and culture in Washington, D.C. She is an alumna of UNC at Charlotte and American University.