The Durham Public Schools Board of Education discussed deep budget pressures in this work session, with the most contentious moment centering on proposed cuts to media coordinators at high schools. Librarians from multiple schools testified that eliminating one coordinator position at each of the five consolidated high schools would force them to cut library hours by up to 30 days yearly and shift their focus away from literacy programs toward tech support. High school librarians currently manage over 1,700 tech tickets annually while serving 900 to 1,900 students. CFO Jeremy Teter acknowledged the roughly $88,621 cost-saving proposal is "not set in stone," but the district is questioning whether two media coordinators at large schools are necessary since some other North Carolina schools operate with none or one. Librarians pushed back, arguing DPS has historically invested local dollars to fill gaps left by insufficient state funding for instructional support.
The board also grappled with severe pay compression among classified staff. While the superintendent's recommended 2025-2026 budget assumes a 3% pay increase across the board, classified employees like speech therapists and physical therapists earn only about $8 more per month after 30 years of experience than newly hired staff. Board member Bettina Umstead, who works as a physical therapist, testified in public comment: "I know less now about what's happening in my career and my pay in DPS than I did this time last year." Teter said addressing this compression would require starting work in July, but board members expressed frustration that details remain vague despite district promises of transparency.
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