The Durham school board heard major workforce and transportation proposals, including a contentious H-1B visa discussion and a phased magnet school express bus plan.
Members pressed staff on whether DPS has changed its H-1B sponsorship practice; administration maintained no policy change occurred, saying the district is simply reverting to standard practice, though board members noted the district has 290 J-1 and 19 H-1B teachers.
Director Anthony White proposed shifting secondary magnet schools to centralized express bus stops, starting with Durham School of the Arts and Brogden's DLI program in 2026-27, with remaining schools to follow in 2027-28 pending pilot data.
The item was pulled from the consent agenda after a board member noted contracts were missing from board docs; after staff explained the roughly $5 million Cisco usage-based contract structure, the board considered approval unanimously.
Staff presented updates on teacher recruitment, retention, and grow-your-own pipelines, including a TA-to-teacher program with NCCU that has invested approximately $169,000 in tuition support since 2021, with 43% of participants becoming or remaining DPS employees.