Durham Schools Community Priorities: Staff Pay, Reliable Transportation

Few surprises greeted the Durham Public Schools Board of Education during the March 20 budget hearing, as Chief Financial Officer Jeremy Teetor presented results from a survey of the community.

Using a platform called ThoughtExchange, the district asked staff, students, and families for their budget priorities going into the 2025-2026 academic year. Top issues included:

Staff pay: Stakeholders want increased salaries to attract and retain quality educators and support staff.
Staffing shortages: Community members emphasized the need to fill critical roles, particularly in support services.
Transportation reliability: Dependable school bus service for Durham students was a recurring concern.
School safety and infrastructure: Participants highlighted aging buildings, HVAC problems, and classroom resource deficits.
Budget efficiency: Suggestions included cutting unnecessary administrative costs and increasing academic rigor and engagement.

Equity also proved to be a cross-cutting issue, with respondents advocating for improved support for exceptional children and the continuation of student wellness services, including school meals and mental health resources.

Budget Hearing Download

During public comment at the budget hearing, Mika Twietmeyer of the Durham Association of Educators said district leaders were invited to a March 25 meeting at the staff development center to discuss the union’s budget priorities, such as fully restored masters pay, school transportation, and classified pay salary compression.

“Our union has been waiting for over a year for you to finally agree to sit down with us and listen to our ideas and how to improve our schools for everyone,” Twietmeyer said. “We are still waiting, and we are ready.”

Lauren Sartain, a quantitative researcher and DPS parent, urged administrators to consider cutting back on non-mandated student testing and teacher professional development contracts.

These are “things that maybe we could take off the table, that we could press pause on while we evaluate what works and what doesn’t, try to have some program coherence in this district instead of just 50 some odd schools kind of doing their own thing,” she said.

The recommended budget from DPS Superintendent Dr. Anthony Lewis is expected to be released on March 27. Board of Education members are set to give their final round of feedback at their meeting on April 10. The district’s budget request then is expected to be submitted to Durham County Commissioners on April 24.

Spread the word by sharing this Southpoint Access newsletter with friends and neighbors. Got a tip for your neighborhood news guy? Send email to wes.platt@southpointaccess.news. Call 919-695-9813, ext. 800.