Durham Public Schools budget hearing spotlights custodial, therapy and classified-staff pay

Durham Public Schools opened a budget hearing March 8 in which the district's chief financial officer reviewed Phase 1 of the superintendent's recommended budget and classified employees described understaffing, payroll errors and low pay.

Mister Teeter, the district's chief financial officer, told the board the draft assumes a cautious posture while the state budget remains unsettled and that staff are preparing for a 5% pay increase for both certified and classified employees "in the absence of better information from the State of North Carolina." He also noted anticipated increases in benefit rates and summarized the draft as "a little bit shy of 16,000,000 additional request for current expense and then an additional 3,700,000 for capital outlay."

The hearing drew multiple public commenters who said the draft would not fully address immediate pay and staffing problems. Maria Lopez, a custodian at Eastway Elementary, described heavy workloads and low wages: "The pay is not enough for how hard we have to work," she said, recounting shifts in which she cleaned 22 rooms and extra rooms when colleagues were absent.

Yamaleth Ramirez, a custodian at Giffens, said payroll problems left her January check short by $300: "My January check was for $1,100. That was 300 less than it should have been," she said, and added that errors and delays pushed some staff to resign. Quentin Hedden, an instructional assistant in EC classrooms, said a proposed 5% increase "is not enough," describing prolonged understaffing and his own $28,000 annual pay as insufficient.

Physical therapists urged the board to preserve proposed schedule changes for therapy staff. Heidi Jo Hetland, a physical therapist, said the district's PT team fell from eight to five members and warned that without pay changes "positions will not be filled" and "students' IEP services will go unmet." Krista Clem, another therapist, and other classified staff speakers likewise urged concrete action beyond statements of priority.

Board members acknowledged the testimony. Board member Beyer thanked speakers for sharing lived experience and said she would "wrestle" with living-wage questions and compression; Superintendent Dr. Lewis said the district is "working feverishly to ensure that we are able to show our commitment to our classified workers" and urged staff with payroll issues to contact payroll and to leave Mr. Teeter their contact information so the district can follow up.

The board will consider Phase 2 materials at a work session next Thursday (5:30 p.m., streamed online) and expects to vote on the budget at the board meeting on March 26. The district did not take a budget vote at this hearing.

What happens next: staff said Phase 2 will include cost estimates for the compensation items discussed and the board invited continued public comment at the upcoming work session.