DPS Asks County for $252M, Exceeding Available Revenue

Durham Public Schools approved a $28.5M funding increase request the county says it cannot afford without raising property taxes.

Editorial illustration of a worn pencil nub

Durham Public Schools' board voted Thursday to send the county a $252 million funding request for the coming year, a $28.5 million increase over last year's allocation. County officials have already said the math doesn't work: Durham has roughly $8.7 million in new revenue available if commissioners hold the property tax rate flat. The DPS request is more than three times that amount.

Classified staff pay makes up $15 million of the increase. DPS wants to raise minimum wages for classified workers from $17.15 to $19.22 an hour, a 12 percent bump the Durham Association of Educators advanced through the district's meet and confer process.
Continuation funding of $11 million would keep existing services at current levels, not add anything new. The county has said even that baseline increase exceeds what's available.
Technology replacements account for $3 million, covering student laptops and classroom projectors.
Charter schools would automatically receive roughly 20 percent of any new county funding directed to DPS, shrinking what the district itself could deploy.

The county was already facing a structural budget gap before this request arrived. County Commissioner Wendy Jacobs said the expected ask was "literally not possible." Sales tax revenue has stalled, and commissioners have not yet said whether they will raise property taxes to close the distance.

The county releases its proposed budget in May. A final funding decision comes in June, when the gap between what DPS needs and what the county can offer will have to be resolved.

DPS Asks County for $252M, Exceeding Available Revenue

Durham Public Schools approved a $28.5M funding increase request the county says it cannot afford without raising property taxes.

Classified staff pay makes up $15 million of the increase. DPS wants to raise minimum wages for classified workers from $17.15 to $19.22 an hour, a 12 percent bump the Durham Association of Educators advanced through the district's meet and confer process.
Continuation funding of $11 million would keep existing services at current levels, not add anything new. The county has said even that baseline increase exceeds what's available.
Technology replacements account for $3 million, covering student laptops and classroom projectors.
Charter schools would automatically receive roughly 20 percent of any new county funding directed to DPS, shrinking what the district itself could deploy.

The county releases its proposed budget in May. A final funding decision comes in June, when the gap between what DPS needs and what the county can offer will have to be resolved.