My name is Xavier Cason, and I’m running for the Durham County Board of Education to continue a long-standing commitment to Durham Public Schools and the broader Durham community. I’ve spent more than three decades serving in and alongside DPS—as an educator, a former Board member, and in leadership roles focused on listening to community needs and aligning resources to support students and schools.

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Two experiences that have most shaped how I approach public leadership are my service as co-chair of Durham’s Safety and Wellness Task Force and my work directing Community Schools initiatives. As co-chair of the Task Force, I helped lead a city- and county-wide effort to understand school safety and wellness through structured focus groups with students, parents and caregivers, educators, school administrators, counselors, and social workers. That work emphasized the importance of centering the voices of those most impacted and translating community insight into recommendations shared with the Durham County Commissioners, Durham City Council, and the DPS Board of Education.

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In my Community Schools work, I continued that same listening-first approach at the school level—partnering with families, educators, and community-based organizations to identify needs and coordinate supports that schools cannot meet alone. Together, these experiences reinforced my belief that effective governance requires both deep community engagement and a practical understanding of how to mobilize resources to respond.

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I’m running again because I believe school board leadership requires sound judgment, humility, and follow-through. I want DPS community members to know that I am committed to listening carefully, working collaboratively, and ensuring that policies are shaped by community voice and implemented in ways that make a real difference for students, educators, and families.