Durham Public Schools Superintendent Pascal Mubenga resigns amid ongoing pay dispute

DURHAM, N.C. (WTVD) -- Durham Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Pascal Mubenga announced he is resigning from the district during a closed meeting Wednesday night.

Mubenga's resignation comes two weeks after DPS' Chief Financial Officer Paul LeSieur resigned amid a pay dispute. The dispute started after DPS notified some employees that they had been overpaid due to an accounting error.

ABC11 asked the embattled former superintendent about his decision and where his departure leaves the district moving forward.

"No I don't think so, I have a lot of respect for our board. Keep in mind, I've been able to work with them for seven years. I don't want to state that I've been considered a scapegoat, I think we got to a mutual understanding for me to be able to resign," Mubenga said.

According to DPS, some employees received more money than they should have in their paychecks dating between July and December 2023 that were processed in the October, November, and December payroll.

During Wednesday night's meeting, the board said an investigation found that LeSieur knew about the potential rise in the cost of pay raises and did not inform the school board of the variability.

DPS went on to say Mubenga, who served as superintendent for seven years, was also aware of a problem in Nov. 2023 and engaged the HIL Consultants, which helps schools efficiently use resources, to look into the issue. the school said it was then informed of the problem two months later in January.

According to DPS, Deputy Superintendent Dr. Nicholas King will take over Mebenga's responsibilities until an interim superintendent is named.

The school board said it agreed to pay Dr. Mubenga a severance payment of $297,759 and other deductions which was determined by the Interim Finance Officer.

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