Four candidates backed by the Durham Association of Educators, People's Alliance, and Durham for All won all four contested Durham school board seats in the March 3 election, ousting incumbent board chair Bettina Umstead in the process.

  • Natalie Bent Kitaif won District 1 with 68.7 percent of the vote.
  • Nadeen Bir won District 2 with 61.3 percent, defeating Umstead by nearly 23 points.
  • Gabrielle Rivero won District 3 with 52.4 percent.
  • Xavier Cason won District 4 with 50.8 percent.

None of the four winners had support from the outgoing board establishment. The endorsed slate campaigned against the board's recent direction on school management and accountability, a contrast that carried across all four districts, including Umstead's own.

The sweep gives the incoming board a working majority aligned with the three endorsing organizations heading into a year when Durham Public Schools faces consequential decisions on building closures, a potential general obligation bond, and ongoing tensions with Durham County over school construction funding.