Durham school board delays decision on classified staff raises another week
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Durham Public Schools Salary Dispute
Budget problems in Durham Public Schools have caused disruptions, including halted bus routes and schools closings as staff members call in sick to protest. The protests come as the school district reported it had budgeted incorrectly and could not pay raises for 1,300 classified staff members, including bus mechanics, cafeteria workers and physical therapists. Here is ongoing coverage from The News & Observer.
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A five-hour Durham Board of Education meeting ended with no decision about how to pay classified staff next month.
After dozens of people spoke out against the salaries the board was considering during a Friday afternoon meeting, the school board voted to table the matter until 5:30 p.m. Thursday.
“DPS staff are unwilling to put up with more disrespect. If demands are not met... protests are likely to continue,” said Symone Kiddoo, president of the Durham Association of Educators.
About 150 people attended the meeting. An additional 250 to 300 followed the stream on YouTube.
The issues stem from what the district has described as accounting errors made in October when giving out raises to classified staff — including cafeteria workers, bus mechanics, interpreters, electricians and instructional assistants for exceptional children.
When consultant firm HIL Consultants presented a new salary schedule over a year ago that recommended significant raises for classified staff, HIL partner Hank Hurd said their salaries had been “frozen in time.”
“We felt like we were finally making what we were worth,” occupational therapist Molly Bagby said of the October salaries.
To keep the district afloat after uncovering the purported mistakes, administration emailed 1,300 school staff in mid-January, slashing the promised raises by eliminating years of experience earned in the private sector. That prompted protests and strikes that resulted in 12 schools closing last week.
How much would it cost?
The county allocated nearly $188 million for Durham Public Schools this school year, a $10.8 million increase from last year.
Board Chair Bettina Umstead said Friday that implementing the study would have required an additional $20 million.
School officials haven’t requested any additional money from the county since, according to Nida Allam, chair of the Board of Commissioners.
School board member Natalie Beyer said Friday that wouldn’t fix things.
“As we’ve started to investigate, we’ve started to have more concerns,” Beyer said. “This is not a one-time, go get some money and fix this rainy day thing.”
Administration on Friday instead presented two options the district can afford without asking for more money from the county:
- Use the salaries emailed to staff in January. This would result in 1,300 employees being paid significantly less than they were told in October, but at least 4% more than last school year. Annual cost: $91.2 million.
- Give an across-the-board 11% raise. This throws out the salary study and restores steps for classified staff. The pay bump would include 4% from the state and 7% locally funded. Some employees would receive less than they were told in October and January. Annual cost: $90.1 million.
Workers rejected both ideas.
“The first option is laughable. After three weeks of protest, you are proposing that absolutely nothing will change,” said DPS employee Geoff Seelen. “The second option tosses into the garbage a costly, years-in-the-making salary study and does nothing to combat wage compression, address cost-of-living concerns or make DPS more competitive.”
“How can we trust that this math works?” parent Kristina Baldridge asked.
Board Vice Chair Emily Chávez proposed a third option:
- Keep pay the same through February at an additional cost of about $700,000 a month, according to Interim Finance Director Cierra Ojijo.
“I’m concerned about morale. I’m concerned about just staying staffed right now,” Chávez said. “I am concerned about people who made commitments with the money that they were told they would receive, from housing to medical needs.”
Beyer immediately interjected, pointing out that the school board spent $4.5 million of the district’s reserves last week to pay the higher salaries through Jan. 31, which Beyer said was a concerning decision “without good supporting documentation.”
The district’s reserve fund now sits at $6.4 million, well below the $12.7 that HR Director Alvera Lesane said is recommended.
Umstead threw her support behind the 11% raises, saying it was unfair to delay a decision.
“On the other end of the decision are people trying to plan for their life,” she said. “I want us to sit and wrestle with all the complexities of this decision. I also want our staff to know how they’re gonna get paid for the rest of the year.”
But Umstead and Beyer got no other support, so a motion on Option 2 failed 5-2.
“You should not be jerked around. That is not our intent,” board member Jovonia Lewis agreed, saying the financial picture left her with questions about being able to afford anything except Option 1.
Lewis moved to adopt Option 1, but received no support.
The board then voted 4-3 to table the discussion until next Thursday’s work session, scheduled to begin at 5:30 p.m.
Ojijo said the payroll system is dated and requires manual entry. She said a decision on this month’s pay should be made by noon Tuesday, but later agreed to push that back.
Calls for transparency
The board also voted Friday to terminate all existing contracts with HIL Group and to hire a “finance comptroller” who will answer directly to the board.
The meeting started at 3 p.m. with a lengthy discussion behind closed doors, despite North Carolina law stating “general policy matters may not be discussed in a closed session.”
School officials and board members have repeatedly declined to answer questions about the mistake, citing an open investigation.
Board member Alexandra Valladares called for increased transparency.
“The question is: How did this happen? Give us transparency,” Valladares said.
She formally moved that the administration reveal when the budget discrepancies were known by Finance Director Paul LeSieur, who resigned last month; Superintendent Pascal Mubenga, who has kept his job; and the school board members. None of her motions received a second.
“We just watched all these motions die on the floor, because the truth that you want will have to go through many revisions,” Valladares said.
Later, Lewis moved to ensure all those questions are contained in the report released to the public. A lengthy discussion followed, but the motion ultimately passed unanimously.
Board attorney Rod Malone said they were preparing a report, but the investigation remains open.
This story was originally published February 2, 2024 at 6:03 PM.
