BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — The Buffalo Public School District has announced that Dr. Pascal Mubenga has been appointed as the new superintendent.
The district said Dr. Mubenga has more than 25 years of experience in public education. He began as a math teacher and also served as assistant principal and principal before he moved into leadership positions at the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction and served as superintendent of Franklin County Schools. Most recently, he served as the superintendent for Durham Public Schools. Dr. Mubenga's departure from that position came with controversy that raises questions as he prepares to take the helm in Buffalo.
WATCH: New Buffalo Public Schools superintendent faces challenges amid questions about past financial issues
I spent hours investigating his previous employment and learned from our ABC affiliate in the Raleigh-Durham area that Dr. Mubenga resigned in February 2024 over controversy surrounding pay raises for classified employees. These employees include bus drivers, instructional assistants, cafeteria workers and building services staff.
The employees received more money than they should have in their paychecks between July and December 2023. They were reportedly promised the increase but later told it was an "accounting error," which the district then reversed. The situation led to the suspension of Durham's chief financial officer. According to ABC 11, Dr. Mubenga resigned two weeks later and received a resignation payout of nearly $297,759.
When asked about the controversy during Tuesday's media availability, Dr. Mubenga explained the situation:
"For some reason, when my chief financial officer was cranking numbers, there was correspondence that it was about $20M that the superintendent was not aware of. For some reason, I think because when I say six years of unmodified audits, that means my {inaudible} was doing a great work. But when you have a large district of about 100 vacancies every year, you may have about $5 million to $7 million of what we call 'life salaries'. For some reason, he thought, I can rely on these life salaries from what we are able to receive from commissioners. But you don't do that because when you are paying employees that are reoccurring this message, you cannot rely."
When I asked Buffalo Board of Education members if this issue raised any red flags, Board President Dr. Kathy Evans-Brown replied that it did not.
"We know that financial matter that made headlines in Durham will not be repeated in our district," Dr. Evans-Brown said. "He will have the support he needs in Buffalo."
According to BPS Board Vice President Lawrence Scott, one of the deciding factors for hiring Dr. Mubenga was his history of turning schools around, academically.
"His proven history of producing results and positive outcomes, and then balancing that with relationships and then understanding the human aspect," Scott explained.
As Dr. Mubenga prepares to take over, he will face several significant challenges, including implementing the statewide cell phone ban, managing the financial pressures of running our region's largest district and overseeing the third-party investigation into allegations of abuse within the district.
In his address to the community, Dr. Mubenga expressed his commitment to Buffalo students: "I want you to know that I will work hard every single day to assure you will receive the highest quality education in a learning environment that is safe, nurturing and inspiring."
According to the district, Mubenga earned a Bachelor of Science from Shaw University, a Master of Arts in Secondary Education from Liberty University, and a Doctorate in Educational Leadership from Capella University.
The district said Dr. Mubenga’s contract is for four years, effective August 15, 2025, with an annual salary of $285,000.
Dr. Mubenga replaces Dr. Tonja Williams Knight, who retired at the end of the school year.
