At Durham Public Schools’ inaugural State of the District address, Superintendent Anthony Lewis hailed the district’s achievements and urged attendees to support the mission of public education in a sweeping 85-minute speech.
“The state of Durham Public Schools is strong and getting stronger,” Lewis said, reading from a teleprompter onstage. “…When we act with purpose and urgency and hold ourselves accountable for results, we can achieve extraordinary things for our scholars.”
The address, sponsored by the DPS Foundation and Duke Community Affairs, took place at Northern High School on Tuesday night with much fanfare.
Cheerleaders waving golden pom-poms smiled and welcomed attendees at the entrance to the school. Inside, as the school band played, culinary students served finger foods to attendees, including parents, staff, school board members, and administrators. A senior from Northern High School performed a rousing rendition of Andra Day’s “Rise Up.”
Yet the auditorium was sparsely filled. Behind the podium, a large screen displayed an image of Lewis, the superintendent, alongside the title of the address. Roughly 80 people were in attendance, leaving two-thirds of the seating empty.
Over the course of more than an hour, Lewis spoke on a range of issues, emphasizing improvements in student performance and the district’s recovering finances. He also addressed busing, restorative practices, new boiler replacements, school lunches, partnerships with local colleges, and a new mentorship initiative, among other topics.
Midway through the speech, Lewis acknowledged the challenges ahead in ensuring “fair, competitive pay” for the district’s educators.
“North Carolina still has work to do when it comes to adequately compensating our educators, especially as teacher pay continues to rise in other states,” Lewis said.
By his account, a lack of state funding hinders the district’s ability to fill teacher vacancies and raise classified staff pay. Caps on funding for English language learners and exceptional children students, he said, mean the district loses out on millions of dollars annually, as the actual number of students in those categories exceed the caps.
In an interview after the address, Mika Twietmeyer, president of the Durham Association of Educators, told The Ninth Street Journal she believes the district has the funds to raise pay for classified staff.
“There is a lot to celebrate in Durham Public Schools when we look at things like test scores and things like that,” she said. “[But] I think there’s some disconnect [between] what was shared this evening and how workers are feeling.”
Relations between the district and the DAE have been tense, as the association continues to lobby for higher classified staff pay amid increasingly limited county and state funding. In February, a controversial exchange between Lewis and the DAE president—in which Twietmeyer addressed Lewis by his first name—led to calls for Twietmeyer’s resignation from the DAE.
A month later, however, all four school board candidates endorsed by the DAE won election. At the address, many of them sat in the second row. Former board member Natalie Beyer, who stepped down after her 16-year tenure in July, was also in attendance.
Lewis also addressed the ongoing challenge of county funds lost to charter schools, urging community members to join the district in “lobbying” for more resources to support public schools.
“More than 50 million dollars, or 26% of our budget, is siphoned to charter schools,” Lewis said. He stressed that regulations in place at public schools, such as mandatory teacher licenses, do not apply at charter schools.
Near the front of the auditorium, Lewis’ granddaughter, a toddler, let out an involuntary giggle.
“I’d laugh at that too, Cammie,” he said, eliciting a round of laughter.
Ultimately, the superintendent’s State of the District address homed in on the need for unity.
“Our collective success depends on a shared commitment to the public school system that serves every child,” Lewis asserted. “And when Durham Public Schools thrives, Durham thrives.”
Photo at top: Superintendent Anthony Lewis delivered the inaugural State of the District address at Northern High School on Sept. 22. Photo by Tanya Wan — The 9th Street Journal
Tanya Wan
