Durham school board hears community priorities as superintendent finalizes budget recommendation

The Durham Public Schools Board of Education on Monday heard a staff summary of an online community engagement process ahead of Superintendent Dr. Pascal Lewis’s recommended budget, and received two public comments urging higher staff pay and a closer review of contracts.

Mister Teeter, a district staff member, told the board the district’s “thought exchange” attracted 1,531 participants and 28,229 ratings of individual comments and included 71 participants who do not speak English as their first language. He said the top themes were competitive staff pay, staffing and vacancies, transportation, school safety and budget transparency.

“We saw a focus on increasing teacher and staff salaries,” Mister Teeter said. “We saw a focus on ensuring that we have reliable transportation, improving our school infrastructure … student services…