{"id":11484,"date":"2024-02-09T16:27:13","date_gmt":"2024-02-09T16:27:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/?p=11484"},"modified":"2024-02-09T16:27:13","modified_gmt":"2024-02-09T16:27:13","slug":"dps-workers-will-keep-higher-pay-rates-for-now","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/2024\/02\/09\/dps-workers-will-keep-higher-pay-rates-for-now\/","title":{"rendered":"DPS workers will keep higher pay rates \u2014 for now"},"content":{"rendered":"

Workers in Durham Public Schools will continue to receive raised pay rates through the end of the month. Thursday\u2019s unanimous decision from the Durham Public Schools Board of Education, which affects paychecks for classified staff, came just minutes after the district announced that all schools are closed Friday due to transportation staff shortages.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Also Thursday, Durham Public Schools named Catty Quiroz Moore as interim superintendent following former Superintendent Pascal Mubenga\u2019s resignation<\/a> the day prior. Moore is a member of the North Carolina State Board of Education and served as the superintendent for Wake County schools until 2023.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Mubenga stepped down amidst the fallout from an \u201caccounting error\u201d that caused pay raises, which were not accounted for in the district\u2019s budget, to be revoked for 1,300 classified staff in mid-January. Staff received the raises in October. Mubenga\u2019s resignation followed that of Paul LeSieur, the school system\u2019s former Chief Finance Officer.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Of the vote to maintain the raised salaries, Chair Bettina Umstead said, \u201cAs we continue to wrestle with this decision, we\u2019re getting closer to payday. We want to make sure folks have a sense of what they\u2019ll be getting.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

At the board\u2019s monthly work session on February 8, dozens of classified staff \u2014\u00a0a category including cafeteria workers, instructional assistants, janitors and more \u2014 gathered in hopes of learning how much they would be paid in February. Many wore pins that read \u201cUnion Strong\u201d and shirts detailing their role in Durham Public Schools. The crowd had thinned since the previous week\u2019s meeting when, after hours of impassioned discussion, the board voted to <\/span>delay<\/span><\/a> its decision on pay for February.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The Durham Association of Educators, a local teacher\u2019s union representing many of the workers, said on Facebook, \u201cThank you to the Board of Education: for listening to workers\u2019 voices, committing to transparency and collaboration going forward, and keeping promises around pay.\u201d The union has been a strong presence since pay disputes began in January, organizing rallies and \u201csick-outs\u201d that have caused widespread school closures. The union says it did not call for a day of protest Friday.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

After deciding on pay for February, the board voted 5-2 to push their decision on salaries for the remainder of the fiscal year to February 22.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Board member Emily Chavez voted in favor of the delay. Citing concerns about a lack of information, Chavez said, \u201cWe do need to know where our money is gonna come from before we spend it. That is fiscal responsibility.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Continuing to honor the raises through the end of June would cost approximately $9 million more than was budgeted, according to a recent <\/span>report<\/span><\/a> by the Tharrington Smith law firm. The report, released Wednesday<\/a>, blamed the salary issues largely on a \u201cfailure of communication\u201d from former CFO Paul LeSieur about the true cost of raising classified workers\u2019 salaries.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe finance officer knew in February 2023 that the cost of the pay raises could rise from $10 million to $20 million based on how years of service are calculated,\u201d the report states. \u201cThat variability was never communicated to the School Board and budget proposals consistently showed the cost as approximately $10 million.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The report also states that the superintendent knew of the pay discrepancy in November, but did not inform the board until January after the new, more generous paychecks had already been sent.<\/span><\/p>\n

At the meeting, many workers said they were dissatisfied with the board\u2019s decision and had hoped to be able to plan around salaries for the rest of the year.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Angelique Parkstone, the cafeteria manager at Glenn Elementary School, said during public comment that she relied on the extra money from her raise to help support her father\u2019s cancer treatments. \u201cI was really looking for another job until I got the raise,\u201d she said. \u201cBecause I am way underpaid for my twenty-plus years.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Luna Gomez, a student at Holt Elementary School, was the youngest speaker at Thursday\u2019s meeting. She stood before the board, her head barely taller than the podium. \u201cI\u2019m tired of this nonsense,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201c[Workers] need to pay rent, buy food and purchase clothes. Some teachers have kids, who also need food and clothes. I\u2019m tired \u2014 we\u2019re tired \u2014 of hearing your lies.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Learn more: Read our chronology<\/a> of the Durham Public Schools’ payroll crisis.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Above: At a Feb. 8 meeting, school system employees await decisions by the Durham school board about paychecks for February and beyond. Photo by Abigail Bromberger \u2014 The 9th Street Journal\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Workers in Durham Public Schools will continue to receive raised pay rates through the end of the month. 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