Reverend Arnett Love, a community leader who works with families grieving lost loved ones to violence, challenged the board during public comment to explain how Durham Public Schools will protect students and address trauma affecting youth. Love reported that students say they don't feel safe at school and need mental health counselors, noting recent shootings have caused some students to fear returning. The board did not directly respond during the work session, but safety and mental health support emerged as underlying concerns in several other discussions.
The most significant action involved an ambitious partnership between Durham Public Schools and Durham Tech to dramatically expand early college opportunities. The institutions aim to have 25 percent of high school graduates earn a college credential before graduation—a massive jump from the current less than 1 percent. The plan targets 90 percent of students in the Cooperative Innovative high schools and 13 percent of comprehensive high school students by 2026-27. Durham Tech will bring college instructors onto high school campuses starting fall 2023 at Riverside High School, and will expand its Early College High School from roughly 100 students to as many as 400. Because tuition is free for DPS students at Durham Tech, students could save around $50,000 by completing their first two years there instead of at a four-year university.
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