🎉 So honored to be your new District 1 Board of Education rep! Durham has spoken loud and clear: it’s time for a new era for DPS. I’m thrilled to get to serve alongside @gabby4durham , @nadeenfordurhamschools , and @xaviercasontheeducator . We’re bringing a fantastic combination of experience and skills to the board and I can’t wait to do this work with you! 🎉
DPS raised me. While it’s been having some struggles in the last few years, I truly believe we’re going to turn it around — and it’s thanks to all of you. 🙌
🙏 To those who knocked on doors, made calls, donated to the campaign, hosted events, put up signs, greeted voters at the polls: thank you for being so generous with your time, energy, resources, and talent to help make this moment happen.
🙏 Earning support from @durhameducators , @nctriangledsa , @dcabp35 , @durhampeoplespac , and @durhamforall was also crucial to this campaign’s success. Thank you for asking me tough questions, scrutinizing my policy stances, and engaging your membership to make thoughtful endorsements in this election.
🙏 Many thanks to @dcovotes , our precinct officials, and election observers for keeping the engine of democracy humming throughout the season. Thank you to @davit_for_nc and Dilcy Burton for running smart, positive campaigns and all you do for the Durham community.
Finally, thank YOU! We have a lot of work ahead of us, and I promise to use my voice and my vote on the board to do right by Durham’s kids and educators. 🗳📣
Tonight begins a new era for public schools and 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. Tonight begins a new era for families who have felt let down or scared by our district’s lackluster response to ICE. Tonight begins a new era for every student who was late to school or missed school completely due to the DPS transportation crisis. Tonight begins a new era for every school community that has lost countless veteran educators to turnover. And tonight begins a new era for the over 1,000 classified (hourly) DPS workers who are still not paid a living wage for their essential labor in our school system because it is not politically expedient for the current decision makers.
We are thrilled to announce that all four of our endorsed pro-union, pro-worker candidates — Natalie Bent Kitaif, Nadeen Bir, Gabby Rivero, and Xavier Cason — have won their races for Durham School Board. These candidates earned our trust by pledging to hold DPS leadership accountable to improving staff working conditions and student learning conditions. They are explicitly committed to supporting workers’ rights, fighting for better staff pay, taking action to protect immigrant families, and increasing budget transparency in DPS because they know that all Durham students deserve safe and fully staffed schools with high staff retention and low turnover.
Full statement in slides above ☀️
Today is Election Day, Durham!!! The world that we live in is far from the world we are fighting for. We are inspired by the hundreds of union members, parents, and neighbors who continue to choose hope, change, transparency, and accountability over fear and despair by knocking on doors and talking to our community about what’s at stake for our schools, staff, and students. We are on the verge of a new era for Durham Public Schools and it wouldn’t be possible without all of us. Don’t forget to vote — polls are open today until 7:30pm! Look up your polling place at vt.ncsbe.gov/RegLkup/ 🗳️❤️🍎🚍
🗳🗳 Happy Election Day, Durham! 🗳🗳
District 1, I'm proud of the campaign I've run and the coalition we've built. I hope you'll do me the honor of electing me to the Durham Board of Education! 🐂🚸
Most importantly, please vote today! Our kids are counting on us! 🗳
🍎 Educators deserve respect, pay, and working conditions worthy of the hard work, love, and creativity they pour into our school communities every day. 🌹💲
🚸 Kids deserve safe, vibrant schools where they can learn, connect, and discover their passion and potential. ✨🎒
🐂 Durham deserves its second largest employer to set the standard for equity, a living wage, and workers' voices while it prepares our next generation of leaders. 🎓🏙
This is why I'm endorsed by
@durhameducators@durhamforall@dcabp35@durhampeoplespac@nctriangledsa
I hope you'll endorse me with your vote, too!
🗳 Election Day is tomorrow! Remember to vote, and remind your friends, too! 🐂
#NBK4DPS #Natalie4DPS #NatalieForDurhamKids #SupportDurhamSchools #SupportDurhamEducators #StrongDurhamSchools #DurhamStrong #SafeDurhamSchools #ShowDurhamTheMoney
Left my rainy poll greeting post, picked up the kids from school, and headed over to @nccueagle to early vote with the fam!
Although there are 7 other amazing early voting sites in Durham, it was important to us to go vote at Central. With the state removing 3 early voting sites on college campuses this year, we want to show our support to ensure no more college based early voting sites are cut!
The polls are still open for early voting until 7:30 pm Friday, and Saturday from 8am-3pm. Get out there and vote, y’all!
#NBK4DPS #Natalie4DPS #NatalieForDurhamKids #SupportDurhamSchools #SupportDurhamEducators StrongDurhamSchools DurhamStrong SafeDurhamSchools ShowDurhamTheMoney
I’m proud to be endorsed by leading progressive community and educational organizations like @durhamforall , @durhameducators , @durhampeoplespac , @dcabp35 , @nctriangledsa ... and these dolls! It will surprise exactly no one that Samantha has always been my favorite. #UnionStrong
#NBK4DPS #Natalie4DPS #NatalieForDurhamKids #SupportDurhamSchools SupportDurhamEducators StrongDurhamSchools DurhamStrong SafeDurhamSchools ShowDurhamTheMoney
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Throwback to this poem I wrote in Ms. Lord's 5th grade class! I was dreaming of a better world back then, and I still believe in these dreams. Even at age 11, I understood that achieving these dreams will take help, and we need all of us to pitch in where we can. Sign up to canvass, poll greet, and get out there and vote! #NBK4DPS #Natalie4DPS #NatalieForDurhamKids #SupportDurhamSchools #SupportDurhamEducators #StrongDurhamSchools #DurhamStrong #SafeDurhamSchools #ShowDurhamTheMoney
🐂 Bull City born and raised in District 1, where I still live today!
🐂 Proud DPS graduate & proud parent of two DPS students who attend the very same elementary school that I did.
🐂 I'm running for school board because I believe deeply in the importance of public education as the foundation for a free, just, and democratic society.
🐂 I'm committed to fighting for budget transparency and accountability, student safety and wellbeing, and retaining and supporting our amazing staff.
🐂 As a public health professional, I know that we must address all these issues from a systemic perspective in order to effectively improve experiences and outcomes for ALL our students and staff.
🐂 I have the skills, tenacity, and the deep love for this community that we need on the board to ensure DPS is a place where every member of our school community thrives.
Thank you for this endorsement, @durhampeoplespac -- I will work hard to build the schools Durham deserves! 💕🐂🚸 #NBK4DPS #Natalie4DPS #NatalieForDurhamKids #SupportDurhamSchools #SupportDurhamEducators #StrongDurhamSchools #DurhamStrong #SafeDurhamSchools #ShowDurhamTheMoney
What a special treat to enjoy a night of spectacular performances with my daughter Kennedy at ✨An Evening to Shine! ✨
From a great rendition of “It’s All Right” by The Impressions (Elementary Chorus) to moving performances of “See You Again” (High School Chorus) and “Time After Time” (Middle School Chorus), to an emotive dance to “Wade in the Water” by the High School Dancers, and so much more, the incredible talent we have at DPS was on full display. My favorite may have been the finale, a medley of tunes with themes of togetherness. 💞 (Shout out to the Elementary kiddos singing “We’re All In This Together” from High School Musical!)
As Superintendent Dr. Anthony Lewis said in his introduction, “At DPS arts are not an extra, they are essential.” I couldn’t agree more. From dance to chorus to band to visual art and theatre, arts are a way children learn to express themselves creatively, explore culture, and process their world. As an alumna of two arts-focused DPS schools, I can attest to the value of arts education even for those of us who move into other fields after graduation. In a state that has chronically underfunded our public schools, last night was a reminder that we must fight to keep funding for arts programming. One way we can do that is by supporting our arts education programs, so come on out to one of the events on the last slide!
P.S. Fun fact: this event has been going on in some capacity for 40 years! I performed in “Evening of Entertainment” (as it was called back then) in 2002 when I was a 7th grader at Brogden Middle School. ☺️
Whatever the reason, I hope to earn your vote, too!
#NBK4DPS #Natalie4DPS #NatalieForDurhamKids #SupportDurhamSchools #SupportDurhamEducators #StrongDurhamSchools #DurhamStrong #SafeDurhamSchools #ShowDurhamTheMoney
