Durham Public Schools superintendent to retire in August

DURHAM, North Carolina (WTVD) -- Durham Public Schools Superintendent Bert L'Homme announced Monday night that he will retire effective August 4.

In a statement, L'Homme said he hoped to serve out the rest of his contract (through 2020) but "the landscape of public education in our state and nation is shifting dramatically. In January, I realized that I likely will not have the physical or mental energy to respond to those challenges, while at the same time dramatically accelerating our academic growth, for the duration of my contract."
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L'Homme said he felt the school system made good progress in the last three years.

"I have asked the Durham Public Schools Board of Education to give me enough time for our board and staff to adopt a 2017-18 school budget without disruption, open our year-round and traditional schools, and establish a transition plan for an interim superintendent and search plan for DPS's next leader," L'Homme said.

"The next superintendent will find that our team has laid a strong foundation for achieving greater success. We have strong principal leadership, committed teachers and staff, fiscal integrity and transparency, stability in the district office, and academic growth," he added. "Our board, staff and community have come together to foster greater equity among our students and schools, especially as demonstrated by the Code of Student Conduct Task Force's work and all that has followed.
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"It is hard to retire when the job's not yet done. But in a progressive community such as Durham that stands for every child without exception, I have no doubt that the next superintendent will build on those accomplishments and move DPS into a great future."

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