Durham County 2026 election results: Mostly new faces to join DPS Board of Education
Durham residents will see changes on the Durham Public Schools’ seven-person board, after 12 candidates ran for four open seats.
With all 20 precincts reporting, Nadeen Bir easily defeated board Chair Bettina Umstead, the only incumbent running.
In Districts 1, 3 and 4, candidates Natalie Bent Kitaif, Gabby Rivero and former board member Xavier Cason all won their races.
The election comes at a pivotal moment for the district. Three of four incumbents chose not to run for re-election. The past year has seen intense debates over administrative and teacher pay, bus-driver shortages, a $9 million budget error that led to the resignation of the former superintendent. Tension remains between the Durham Association of Educators (DAE) and the board’s leadership. In a statement, the DAE, which endorsed all the winning candidates, praised a “new era for politics in Durham.”
“Tonight has shown us that it is possible for everyday working parents, unionized school staff, and community members to band together and beat entrenched status quo politics,” the statement read. “These candidates have earned out trust by pledging to hold DPS leadership accountable to improving staff working conditions and student learning conditions.”
With incumbents Emily Chávez (District 1), Jessica Carda-Auten (District 3), and Natalie Beyer (District 4) stepping down, three seats were completely open.
Durham’s school board election is nonpartisan, so there won’t be a November election. Tuesday’s winners will join members Millicent Rogers, Joy Harrell Goff and Wendell Tabb.
School board members serve four-year terms.
When polls closed at 7:30 p.m., 31,828 eligible voters had cast their ballots on Election Day, according to the Durham County Board of Elections. There are 244,667 registered voters in the county.
District 1
Three DPS graduates were vying for the seat: Dilcy Burton, Kitaif and Davit Melikian. They all focused on lived experience, emphasizing their personal history with the school system.
With all 13 precincts reporting, Kitaif finished first, with nearly 69% of the votes cast.
In addition to the DAE endorsement, she had the backing of the Durham Committee on the Affairs of Black People and the People’s Alliance PAC. She has a background in public health and has been an organizer in her children’s schools. Kitaif wants to prioritize fair pay, accountability, transparency and bold leadership.
District 2
With all 20 precincts reporting, Bir finished first with 61% of the vote.
She comes from a finance and human resource background and is a co-founder of Mothers for Ceasefire. Bir is a mother of two DPS students and ran to help build safe schools that are well-funded, according to her website. She was endorsed by the DAE, the Durham Black PAC, and the People’s Alliance PAC.
Umstead was running on her experience navigating the district through recent crisis. Before serving on the school board, she worked at Student U, a Durham-based education nonprofit, and was on the governor’s advisory council on student safety and wellbeing. She said she was running for reelection because she wanted to continue moving the city and its school district forward in trying times.
“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,” her website reads.
District 3
With all 13 precincts reporting, Rivero finished first with 52% of the vote to defeat Peter Crawford and Lauren Sartain.
She is the founder of a dance company and is on Durham’s recreation advisory committee. She is a mother to three bilingual and biracial children in DPS and a foster parent. Rivero said she wants to prioritize strong budget oversight, educators and whole-child wellness. She was endorsed by the People’s Alliance PAC, DAE and Durham for All.
District 4
With all 12 precincts reporting, former school board member Cason won nearly 51% of the vote to return to the board.
He faced Jerome Leathers, a veteran DPS principal and teacher, and Kristy Moore, a parent advocate.
After two terms on the school board, Cason left to direct the Bull City Schools Partnership. He has three decades of educational leadership and said his focus has always been about “centering community voice and ensuring policies are implemented in ways that truly support students, educators, and families,” according to his website. He was running again to bring sound judgment and follow-through to the board.
He had the endorsements of the DAE, the People’s Alliance PAC, Durham Committee on the Affairs of Black People and the Friends of Durham.
This story was originally published March 3, 2026 at 9:32 PM.