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DPS Superintendent Resigns; Report Released
Superintendent Pascal Mubenga has resigned after seven years with Durham Public Schools, in the wake of turmoil spawned by confusion and frustration over classified worker pay. Bettina Umstead, chair of the Board of Education, announced Mubenga’s resignation after a closed-door special meeting. Deputy Superintendent Nicholas King is assuming the superintendent’s duties until an interim is…
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Meet the Candidate: Millicent Rogers
Millicent Rogers, currently the incumbent representative for Consolidated District B on the Durham Public Schools Board of Education, grew up in Durham and holds the philosophy that all families matter in this town where she grew up. Her grandmother, Reathie Mae Rogers, was president of the McDougald Terrace Residents Association and worked with the North…
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DPS Foundation Urges Paycheck Commitment
The Durham Public Schools Foundation appreciated the Board of Education’s decision to hire an external comptroller, break off its relationship with compensation study provider HIL Consultants, and approval of steps toward a “meet and confer” policy with the Durham Association of Educators. But DPSF isn’t happy about the delayed movement on classified worker pay for…
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Seven Durham Schools Closing Monday Over DPS Pay Dispute
Durham Public Schools families in seven schools – a new set, no repeats from last week – are scrambling to deal with closures on Monday. “We anticipate staffing challenges tomorrow, Monday, Feb. 5, that will prevent us from conducting our school day,” said Crystal Kimpson Roberts, DPS director of strategic communications, in a statement Sunday…
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DPS School Board Tables Salary Decision to Next Week
After nearly five hours – a big chunk of that spent in closed session (again) – the Durham Public Schools Board of Education couldn’t reach consensus on any option to pay classified staff for February, let alone the rest of the school year. So, in the end, members voted on a motion to table the…
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[NEWS ROUNDUP] DPS Classified Pay Situation
I’m sharing links to coverage at other local outlets to try to present a more comprehensive picture of what’s been going on with the Durham Public Schools classified worker pay situation. For a journalist working part-time on a startup news site, I admit this feels counterintuitive. But here’s a simple fact: I am doing this…
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Two Options on Table for Durham School Board
The Durham Public Schools administration is bringing two scenarios for the Board of Education to consider at a special meeting on Friday: Funding for both these options is available in the 2023-24 fiscal year budget. District administrators also considered adopting the experience steps as explored in the compensation study, but determined that the “options cannot…
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Multiple DPS Schools Closing on Wednesday
The Durham Association of Educators, dissatisfied with the rate of cooperation from the Durham Public Schools administration, is scheduling a protest Wednesday and currently expects 11 schools to be so short on teachers and staff. The district announced Tuesday night that all those affected schools will be closed Jan. 31. “Since the most immediate events…
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Durham School Board Plans Friday Special Meeting
The classified pay situation in Durham Public Schools might be the topic of a Board of Education special meeting planned for Friday at 3 p.m. It’s scheduled at the administration building on Cleveland Street in downtown Durham. In an email to district families Tuesday night ahead of planned staffing shortages that may lead to the…
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DPS Transportation Troubles Return This Week
It’s not entirely clear why at least 25 school buses weren’t available for their routes in Durham Public Schools on Monday, except that officials described it as the result of a staffing shortage. The district announced throughout the day on Monday that more than two dozen buses wouldn’t be running in the morning and afternoon,…
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Meet the Candidate: Michelle Burton
Michelle Burton, a career educator and former president of the Durham Association of Educators, was born in Chicago to a family with strong union ties – her grandfather was in the Brotherhood of the Sleeping Car Porters, the nation’s first all-Black union – and leadership in racial and social justice. Burton, 53, is taking what…
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DPS Classified Staff Pay Holds Through January, But Future Uncertain
The good news: Classified staff at Durham Public Schools won’t have to return any money to the district for what some administration officials have termed an “overpayment.” The Board of Education on Thursday night voted to move $4.5 million from the local fund account to cover paychecks for classified staff – including bus mechanics, occupational…
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