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DPS Updates County Budget Ask for New Bonuses and Supplements
Durham Public Schools officials have rearranged their ask to county commissioners to provide special supplements for early childhood and English as a second language teachers and for classified staff specializing in sign language, deaf/hard of hearing, visually impaired, and spoken language facilitation. Administrators also proposed continuing a $7,000 per year bonus for EC facilitator positions…
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Cooper’s Budget Prioritizes Public Schools Over Private Vouchers
The state of North Carolina would invest more than $1 billion to bolster public schools rather than funding private-school vouchers under the 2024-2025 budget plan proposed this week by Gov. Roy Cooper. The budget plan includes: “This budget is an opportunity to build on our state’s momentum and make up ground in areas like public…
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[Nerdspresso] Junk Food for Your Brain: Streaming Bad Movies Can Feel Pretty Good
Life is like a road trip. Sometimes you’re flying down the highway with the tunes blasting, making good time and other times you’re stuck in gridlock traffic listening to agriculture news on public radio. Everybody needs to take a break and stretch their legs. When the traffic of your life is so congested that you…
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[Nerdspresso] Arnold, Guns, Blood, and Hobo Pants: The Terminator at 40
The Terminator turns 40 this year. It came out in theaters in 1984 when I was in high school. I first discovered it’s b-movie brilliance on VHS at a friend’s house. It was a wrap party for our high school musical. Us drama nerds played hard. There were a lot of chips and some Jolt…
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DPS Considers Budget Priorities
The Durham Public Schools Board of Education continued developing budget priorities ahead of a planned joint meeting March 14 with county commissioners. Top of mind for most board members: finding a better way forward for paying classified workers. “I know that our staff have been incredibly discouraged by decisions that this board has made,” said…
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Meet the Candidate: Fredrick A. Davis
Are you a Southpoint Access subscriber? Support our ultra-local news at this link! Fredrick A. Davis, a Florida transplant who has lived in Durham since 1991, has been a pastor at First Calvary Baptist Church, guided the development of the Community Family Life and Recreation Center at Lyon Park, and served on the Durham Public Schools Board of…
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[Junction 54] Mission Not Quite Accomplished – Editor’s Column/Audio Note
If you hadn’t been paying attention for the past six weeks, you’d be forgiven for breathing a sigh of relief after reading this line in a statement issued Friday by Durham Public Schools: “This vote ends a period of uncertainty and anxiety for our classified employees, but it does not end our commitment to providing…
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DPS Meet-and-Confer Group Takes Shape
Bettina Umstead, chair of the Durham Public Schools Board of Education, on Thursday appointed 11 people to serve on the new ad hoc committee to develop a “meet-and-confer” policy within the school district. The policy, expected to give staff and teachers a louder voice in the budgeting process, is coming together as the board prepares…
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DPS Board Votes for 11% Pay Plan
Starting in March, classified Durham Public Schools workers who saw their pay increased based on a 2022-23 salary study can expect their checks to shrink – some by more than $1,000 – until the end of the school year. The DPS Board of Education voted Thursday night to pay those workers 11% above what they…
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DPS Comptroller Supports 11% Pay Increase Plan
The comptroller hired to guide Durham Public Schools out of its classified worker pay quagmire recommends that the district – for now – approve an 11% increase for employees. That’s according to a presentation containing an update from veteran school finance leader Kerry Crutchfield, submitted ahead of the Board of Education’s Thursday meeting. In his…
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Memo: DPS Financial Officer Proposed Cuts to Help Fund Pay Discrepancy
This story is developing. More information will be added as it becomes available. Durham Public Schools would’ve cut all federal ESSER-funded positions and slashed “over utilized allocations at the schools” to help free up funds to cover the millions needed to cover the cost of the classified worker pay increase. That’s the plan former Chief…
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Durham Satisfaction Survey: Schools, Pedestrian and Bike Amenities Need Work
Durham residents are least impressed with the city’s public and charter schools, bicycle and pedestrian facilities, and our public transit system. That’s according to the 2023 Durham City Resident Survey, conducted by the ETC Institute on behalf of the city. The survey ranks responses in three tiers based on “very satisfied” or “satisfied.” The lowest…
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