The Durham Public Schools Board of Education held a budget hearing to present Phase One of the superintendent's recommended budget and gather stakeholder feedback to inform Phase Two.
Durham Public Schools' custodial workers, therapists, librarians, and classified staff delivered urgent testimony at the board's budget hearing on March 5, pleading for wage increases and better working conditions as the district grapples with a $19.7 million budget request shadowed by state funding uncertainty.
The most striking testimony came from custodians describing unsustainable workloads and payroll failures. Maria Lopez at Eastway Elementary cleans 22 rooms plus doors, library, and windows in an eight-hour shift, sometimes adding four more rooms when colleagues are absent—work that has caused her arm pain. Yamaleth Ramirez, a custodian at Githens Elementary, quit Friday after her January paycheck came up $300 short due to the district's 80-hour monthly overtime cap. Another pregnant colleague quit Monday citing workload-induced contractions. Multiple staff reported working 10 or more unpaid hours weekly and receiving no compensation for work at weekend basketball games or special events. The custodians criticized administration for ignoring repeated payroll complaints and for staffing levels that force employees to choose between their health and their jobs.
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