Durham Public Schools board approved a $252 million county funding request Thursday night, seeking $28.5 million more than last year in a budget the county has already said exceeds what it can cover without raising property taxes.
The county budget director told commissioners and school board members earlier this month that Durham only has $8.7 million in new revenue available if commissioners hold the tax rate flat. The DPS request is more than three times that amount.
- Classified staff pay makes up the bulk of the $15 million expansion request. DPS wants to raise minimum wages for classified workers from $17.15 to $19.22 an hour, a 12 percent increase pushed by the Durham Association of Educators through the district's meet and confer process.
- Continuation funding of $11 million would keep existing services at current levels, not expand them. The county has said even that baseline increase exceeds available revenue.
- Technology replacements account for another $3 million for student laptops and classroom projectors.
- Charter school would automatically receive roughly 20 percent of any new county funding allocated to DPS.
County Commissioner Wendy Jacobs said before the vote that the expected request was "literally not possible." Sales tax revenue has stalled, leaving commissioners to decide whether to raise property taxes to bridge the gap.
The county will release its proposed budget in May. Commissioners make a final funding decision in June.