Durham Public Schools releases 2025–26 budget calendar and seeks earlier public input

Durham Public Schools Board of Education work session, Jan. 9, 2025

Durham Public Schools presented a draft calendar for development of the 2025–26 budget and the board on Thursday approved the timeline, adding an emphasis on earlier public engagement and information sessions for the community.

Why it matters: The calendar sets public and internal deadlines that drive school staffing, pay and program decisions for the coming fiscal year. Board members emphasized the need for clear, accessible public materials and an early community forum to explain how local, state and federal revenue streams shape the district budget.

Key points from the administration Budget Director/Chief Financial staffer Mike Teeter (presentation lead) described the statewide calendar that drives local decisions: the Office of State Budget Management issues revenue projections that inform the governor’s recommended budget (historically released in March), which in turn frames the General Assembly’s appropriations. Teeter said the district plans to use the governor’s recommended figures to calculate continuation costs for existing district services and to prepare expansion scenarios for new or increased spending.

Teeter said the district expects to make the superintendent's recommended budget visible to the board and public by March 27, 2025, and proposed two public hearings: an earlier hearing focused on priorities (Feb. 20) and the traditional hearing after the superintendent’s recommended budget is released. He noted that the assembly process at the state level can vary in duration and that the district is working with county budget staff to align local timing.

Board action and requests The board voted unanimously to approve the 2025–26 budget calendar. Several board members asked administration to: - Hold an explanatory community meeting about how the district budget is constructed (local vs. state vs. federal share; major spending categories such as salaries vs. operations). - Run targeted outreach so the hearings and meetings reach audiences beyond those who typically attend board meetings, including Spanish-speaking residents and working families. - Provide comparative data on absences and tardiness tied to the recent rotational bus coverage (administration said it will provide available data but cautioned it is imperfect and may require interpretation).

Quotes Budget staff said the district was at an early forecasting stage: "We are currently at the crystal-ball phase of the state budget development process because we have no idea what revenue is going to look like for them, and we have no idea what the governor is going to recommend," the staff presentation said. The presentation also recommended using governor figures for initial continuation-cost estimates.

Next steps - Administration will provide attendance/absence analyses related to last fall's rotational bus coverage and will prepare materials for the community meeting requested by the board. - The superintendent's recommended budget is scheduled to be available to the board by March 27, with additional board work sessions planned through April and May and a request to county commissioners in late April/May as to the local funding request.

Ending Board members approved the calendar and asked administration to schedule a community meeting and to focus outreach and translation so the budget process reaches a broader cross-section of Durham families.