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Durham Schools May Join Social Media Lawsuit Effort
Should Durham Public Schools join an effort to sue major social media companies like Meta, Google, ByteDance, and Snap over harmful impacts on students? Board of Education members on Thursday are expected to hear from attorneys leading litigation against the owners of Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, and Snapchat, and could discuss approving a contingency fee…
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[Flash Poll] DPS Magnet Lottery 2024
The results came in Friday from the latest Durham Public Schools magnet and CTE pathways lottery, the first since the district kicked off the new “Growing Together” realignment of schools. I’m curious how the process worked out for Southpoint Access readers who participated. Get the poll results here. Loading… Are you a Southpoint Access subscriber? Support our…
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Hillside Student Earns Morehead-Cain Scholarship
Are you a Southpoint Access subscriber? Support our ultra-local news at this link! Hillside High School Senior Scarlett Bermudez was selected as the only Morehead-Cain Scholar in Durham Public Schools this year. The award gives Bermudez a four-year, fully-funded academic experience at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She founded an organization called Mariposa that aims…
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DPS Afterschool Programs Adopt Lottery Model
Durham Public Schools parents may have wanted assurances that their child would make it easily into an afterschool program in elementary school in the 2024-25 academic year. What we’re getting instead? Another lottery, similar to what parents use for magnet school applications. Previously, afterschool program access was first-come, first-served. In a letter to families this…
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Durham Schools Among Free Breakfast Grant Recipients
School districts and public charter schools across North Carolina, including Durham Public Schools, are expected to share $1.3 million in grants to expand access to breakfast for students. “Our public schools not only provide safe places for children to learn, but also healthy meals for students who sometimes face food insecurity at home,” said Gov.…
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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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[Junction 54] A Clean Break – Editor’s Column/Audio Note
I’ve heard some folks say Durham Public Schools should’ve insisted that Dr. Pascal Mubenga stick around to help clean up the mess his administration caused with the classified worker pay crisis. I get it. I do. If one of my kids spills food on the floor, I want them to be responsible and clean it…
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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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Students Celebrate Durham Hero Bus Driver
Brogden Middle School students cheered the arrival of Deona Washington, a Durham Public Schools bus driver who’s been with the district for about 11 years. She earned the acclaim on Feb. 16 when the Thomas Built bus she drove caught fire during the afternoon route. Washington kept calm and hustled her 28 passengers off the…
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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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