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Superintendent releases FY2025-26 recommended budget focusing on continuity, teacher pay and bus-driver support
Summary
Superintendent Lewis presented a recommended Durham Public Schools budget for 2025–26 outlining continuation costs, staffing counts, proposed supplements (including a $200-per-month bus-driver supplement), a local funding ask of about $16 million, and targeted investments for special education and teacher compensation.
Superintendent Dr. Lewis and Chief Finance Officer Jeremy Teeter presented the superintendent’s recommended 2025–26 budget to the Durham Public Schools Board of Education on March 27, emphasizing continuity of operations, targeted compensation changes and several one‑time investments.
Teeter said the district plans to budget on the basis of roughly 5,167 positions and that current enrollment stands at 31,188 students. The recommended plan includes an assumption of a modest state pay increase (Teeter noted an expectation of about 3 percent), a pension contribution of about 25.25 percent and a health‑insurance increase the budget books estimate at roughly $600 per employee. Teeter also said utilities and liability/premium costs are expected to rise, and he listed $220,000 as a utilities contingency.
To maintain momentum on compensation, Teeter outlined several targeted items: a classified supplement proposal to provide bus drivers a regular $200 monthly supplement (about $2,000 per year) at an estimated annual cost to the district of roughly $377,000; continued support for the district’s local teacher supplement program (Durham ranks third statewide in teacher supplement); and a plan to include 11 social workers in the local master’s‑pay program at an estimated cost of about $79,000. Teeter said a prior shortfall on the local master’s pay program left a gap of about $1.2 million this school year.
Teeter flagged exceptional‑children funding as a major local concern: based on the district’s full enrollment cap, Durham would receive roughly $5.5 million more from the state if the state formula reflected full enrollment. Teeter said the district currently spends more than $10 million in local dollars to meet exceptional‑children needs.
Teeter listed several one‑time requests, including $150,000 to refresh band instruments and art materials; he noted the district may request that capital outlay instead of operating funds so the cost would not be shared with charter schools (charter pass‑through is roughly $43 million). Overall, Teeter said the superintendent’s ask of county commissioners is “just shy of $16 million” in operating increases plus a continued county capital outlay allocation of $8 million.
Dr. Lewis and Teeter said the district has implemented a hiring freeze and is deep into the allotment process. They committed to posting more detailed budget materials (a full budget packet and updated salary schedules) in advance of upcoming work sessions. Board members asked for additional detail on AP coverage, arts nonrecurring requests, Montessori staffing ratios, and contingency plans if the county’s appropriation is lower than requested.
No formal vote was taken at the presentation; board members were invited to review the more detailed materials to be provided ahead of the April work session.
