DURHAM, N.C. – The Durham school system has named a new superintendent after a monthslong search.

Anthony Lewis was appointed to a four-year term starting Aug. 12, the Durham Public Schools Board of Education announced Saturday.

The school system has been led by interim superintendent Catty Moore since Superintendent Pascal Mubenga resigned in February amid a dispute over pay cuts for school staff.

Lewis has been superintendent of Lawrence Public Schools in Lawrence, Kansas, since 2018. He implemented the district’s first equity policy and achieved the highest increase in the district’s graduation rate in 16 years, the Durham board stated in a news release. He previously was a special education teacher in Montgomery, Alabama, before becoming an elementary school principal.

Lewis also was named to the Kansas African American Affairs Commission to develop strategies to address public policy concerns in the African-American community.

The Durham board said it made its decision after deliberating for hundreds of hours, considering over 100 applicants, and getting input from employees and community members.

The board said it will formally introduce Lewis this summer.