{"campaigns":[{"candidatename":"Dilcy Burton","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"","person":{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\nDilcy Grady Burton ran as a Democrat for the Durham Public Schools Board of Education District 1 seat in the March 3, 2026 primary, competing for the seat vacated by incumbent Emily Chavez.\n\nBurton's priorities included school safety, the elimination of mold from Durham Public Schools facilities, timely and consistent financial audits of the DPS budget, and fair and competitive wages for all DPS personnel.\n\n## Background and education\nBurton is a graduate of Jordan High School in Durham. She earned degrees from North Carolina Central University, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and Liberty University. She is a state-certified mediator.\n\n## Career\nBurton has worked as an assistant attorney general for the North Carolina Department of Justice since 2023. She previously worked for the Alabama Department of Labor, the North Carolina Department of Commerce, and ran her own private law practice in Durham.\n\n## Family\nBurton's grandmother worked as a cafeteria employee in Durham Public Schools.\n\n## Sources\n- [1] [Durham Public Schools Board of Education District 1: Dilcy Burton \u2013 Indy Week](https://indyweek.com/news/durham-public-schools-board-of-education-dilcy-burton-2026/)\n- [2] [Three Durham Public Schools graduates vie for District 1 school board seat \u2013 9th Street Journal](https://9thstreetjournal.org/2026/03/02/three-durham-public-schools-graduates-vie-for-district-1-school-board-seat/)\n","firstname":"Dilcy","lastname":"Burton","middlename":"Grady","suffix":null,"token":"0c9e9d23418f3193"},"token":"z1k8RnhU2Dgzcp4w"},{"candidatename":"Natalie Bent Kitaif","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"","person":{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\nNatalie Bent Kitaif won the Durham Public Schools Board of Education District 1 seat in the March 3, 2026 Democratic primary, receiving 68.7 percent of the vote over two other candidates.\n\nKitaif supports restorative discipline practices, a $25-per-hour minimum wage for district employees, expanded school funding sources including asking Duke University to make payments to Durham in lieu of property taxes, financial accountability, and strengthened student safety. She is a vocal advocate for diversity, equity, and inclusion within Durham Public Schools.\n\n## Background and education\nKitaif is a lifelong Durham resident and Durham Public Schools graduate. She attended Guilford College for her undergraduate studies and later pursued graduate work in public health.\n\n## Career\nKitaif works as a public health professional with a focus on maternal and child health. Her background is in research and consulting, and she brings a systems-level analytical approach to education governance.\n\nWhen federal immigration agents arrived in Durham in late 2024, Kitaif participated in community efforts to protect students, facilitating rides for vulnerable families and delivering necessities. She was endorsed by the Durham Association of Educators, the People's Alliance, and the Durham Committee on the Affairs of Black People.\n\n## Family\nKitaif is the mother of two daughters enrolled in a DPS elementary school. She has been closely involved in school-level organizing on issues of student safety and teacher working conditions.\n\n## Sources\n- [1] [Durham Public Schools Board of Education District 1: Natalie Bent Kitaif \u2013 Indy Week](https://indyweek.com/news/durham-public-schools-board-of-education-natalie-bent-kitaif-2026/)\n- [2] [Three Durham Public Schools graduates vie for District 1 school board seat \u2013 9th Street Journal](https://9thstreetjournal.org/2026/03/02/three-durham-public-schools-graduates-vie-for-district-1-school-board-seat/)\n- [3] [Newcomers sweep school board races \u2013 9th Street Journal](https://9thstreetjournal.org/2026/03/04/newcomers-sweep-school-board-races/)\n","firstname":"Natalie","lastname":"Kitaif","middlename":"Bent","suffix":null,"token":"db22787418a07b5c"},"token":"kGjEIFmVuiYm1V-w"},{"candidatename":"Davit Melikian","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"","person":{"biography":"**Status: Melikian lost the March 3, 2026 nonpartisan election for Durham County Board of Education District 1, finishing third of three candidates with 907 votes (8.3%); Natalie Bent Kitaif won with 7,602 votes (69.7%) and Dilcy Burton placed second with 2,402 (22.0%). This nonpartisan race was decided outright on March 3 with no November runoff [3].**\n\nAccording to the North Carolina voter file, Davit Gaik Melikian is a registered voter in Durham County, North Carolina, registered since 2022 (4 years), with party affiliation listed as Democratic [1].\n\nThe voter file shows Davit Gaik Melikian's year of birth as 1986; NC publishes only the year of birth in its bulk voter export, so day and month are not part of the public record [1].\n\nThe voter history file shows 11 elections voted in since 2016, most recently the 2026-03-03 primary election [2].\n\nThis summary draws only from the public North Carolina voter registration and history records. No additional published biographical information was located. Voters with personal knowledge of Davit Gaik Melikian can reach ballotproject.org with corrections or additions.\n\n## Sources\n[1] [North Carolina State Board of Elections \u2014 Voter Search](https://vt.ncsbe.gov/RegLkup/)\n\n[2] North Carolina State Board of Elections voter history file (`ncvhis_Statewide`), published at [dl.ncsbe.gov](https://dl.ncsbe.gov/)\n\n[3] North Carolina State Board of Elections, official March 3, 2026 primary election results by precinct, published at [dl.ncsbe.gov](https://dl.ncsbe.gov/ENRS/2026_03_03/results_pct_20260303.zip)","firstname":"Davit","lastname":"Melikian","middlename":"Gaik","suffix":null,"token":"9b88995ee6271db1"},"token":"WC-gyvv1uRta2cYf"}],"choices":null,"description":null,"district":null,"districtgroup":null,"districtgroupname":null,"districtname":null,"job_type":"school_board","o.office":"county_school_board","office":"county_school_board","officedescription":"A school board member serves on the elected body that governs a public school district. The board sets district policy and budget priorities and hires and evaluates the superintendent, while leaving day-to-day management to the administration.","officequalities":"- Policy judgment for a public school district \u2014 setting direction while leaving day-to-day management to the superintendent.\n- Budget literacy for operating and capital budgets, in coordination with the county commission (which appropriates) and the state.\n- Ability to hire, evaluate, and when necessary replace the superintendent \u2014 the board's highest-stakes recurring decision.\n- Constituent relations with parents, teachers, principals, and community members.\n- Willingness to complete the state-required annual training through the Tennessee School Boards Association.","officeterm":4,"officetitle":"County School Board Member","partisan":0,"pgr":"general","quantity":1,"referendum":null,"source":null,"title":"Durham County Board Of Education District 01"}