Alongside March Madness and an abundance of pollen, the start of spring in Durham means the kickoff to budget season for Durham Public Schools. Yet even as the district launches into planning next year’s budget, it is implementing a temporary hiring freeze through June 30.
“We’ve got a hiring freeze that is currently in place in Durham,” DPS’ Chief Finance Officer Jeremy Teetor said at a March 27 school board meeting. “Like a number of districts in North Carolina…needing to press pause, assess what we’re working with, and make sure that as we transition into the next school year we don’t create unnecessary hardship for staff.”
District Superintendent Anthony Lewis’ proposed budget for next year, released at the meeting, includes a hefty ask for a $15.9 million increase in county funding and no mention of some classified workers. While the proposal did not make everyone happy, the superintendent said the plan reflects the district’s values.
“This budget reflects our ongoing commitment to excellence in education,” Lewis’ introduction to the proposed budget reads, “providing the necessary resources to meet the needs of all our students, and continuing our progress toward a more robust and equitable school system.”
The new budget cycle is an attempt at a fresh start for DPS, which a little over a year ago sparked outrage when it rescinded promised raises for the district’s classified workers. The controversy led to the resignations of long-time DPS chief finance officer Paul LeSieur and the district’s superintendent, Pascal Mubenga. With Teetor and Lewis, respectively, now filling the roles, the district has a new team working on the complicated task of planning the budget.
Here’s what you need to know about the superintendent’s proposed budget.
How much money is the district asking for?
The budget proposal requests a $15.9 million funding increase from the Durham county commissioners. That comes on the heels of a historic $27 million increase for the school district last summer, a bump that included about $7 million from the federal American Rescue Plan Act. This year’s total proposed budget stands at $708.1 million, compared to the superintendent’s proposed budget of $633.2 million last year.
The request for a $15.9 million increase raised eyebrows for board member Natalie Beyer. Beyer asked Jeremy Teetor, DPS’ chief financial officer, to outline the district’s priorities in the event the county is unable to fund the proposed increase.
“I don’t necessarily think that the county has this for us, the 16 that you’ve added up,” Beyer said. “That’s where I’m kind of personally struggling as you all continue to lead this…If we do not get it all, what are your top priorities for student impact with an equity focus?”
“I think the county is facing some grim times, too,” Beyer added.
What is DPS allocating for teachers’ pay?
The proposal would increase funding for DPS’ local teacher supplement by about $2.3 million in order to compete with neighboring districts. According to district administrators, Durham’s average teacher supplement is $10,355, trailing that of Wake County Schools ($11,289) and Chapel Hill-Carrboro Schools ($11,043).
At the meeting, speakers underlined that difference.
“DPS has been forced to work for less compared to its peers,” said Javon Gilchrist, a member of Durham For All, a local political advocacy group. “Chapel Hill and Carrboro is a prime example of this disparity…. How can DPS expect to retain hard-working teachers with such a wide gap in pay?”
What’s going on with master’s pay?
Last summer, DPS reinstated master’s pay — a pay bump for teachers with the advanced degree — nearly a decade after North Carolina rolled back the policy. However, the school district did not properly account for the number of teachers who would qualify. Moreover, school social workers were excluded.
“At this time last year, the district really did not predict how many teachers would benefit from that local program and so there was a shortfall of a little over $1.2 million in the current year,” Teetor said last Thursday. “We’ve taken that same number, applied our current pressures…to capture what that number would look like for next year.”
The superintendent’s proposed budget allocates nearly $1.5 million to compensate both teachers and social workers for master’s pay.
What about classified staff?
Last year, the school system sparked tremendous controversy when it rescinded raises for classified staff, school system employees who are not certified classroom teachers. Yet the group, which eventually received more modest raises later in the school year, was noticeably absent from the superintendent’s proposed budget.
Other than a $377,436 supplement for bus drivers — whom the district is eager to retain to mitigate the ongoing bus driver shortage — classified staff are not mentioned in the proposed budget.
“There is nothing about classified pay in tonight’s budget proposal, other than bus drivers,” said classified employee Christie Clem, a district physical therapist and member of Durham Association of Educators. “Our pay went back to near like 2017 numbers. Classified employees are worse off now than we were this time last year when we were told ‘It will get better.’”
Board member Bettina Umstead said the district has tended to provide raises for certified and classified employees in alternate years. Umstead asked Teetor how the district can prepare for future classified raises.
“I see that we have certified staff, teacher supplement in this year…,” Umstead said. “We had a cadence in the past of doing one or the other. So we’re looking at classified for next year.”
“So my question is, what do we need to do, probably starting today, to be prepared for what that looks like next year?,” Umstead continued.
Teetor replied that another pay study will be needed to determine next steps for classified employee pay.
“It will be a tremendous lift to move classified to the next stage of things,” Teetor said.
Above: Durham Public Schools’ administration building. Photo by Kulsoom Rizavi — The 9th Street Journal
