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Teachers and union leaders urge Durham County to fully fund DPS in budget hearing
Summary
Multiple DPS teachers and Durham Association of Educators leaders testified during public comment warning that cuts to master's pay, bus drivers and special education staff will damage services and retention; they asked commissioners to fully fund the Board of Education request.
A lineup of Durham Public Schools teachers and union representatives told the Durham County Board of Commissioners on June 9 that current staffing shortages and changes to master's pay threaten classroom instruction and services for students with disabilities.
Sonia Talheimer, a Lakewood Elementary teacher, said master's pay ‘‘means I receive a 10% increase in my pay each month’’ and described how that extra compensation allowed her to tutor less and better meet family expenses. Micah Tweetmeyer, president of the Durham Association of Educators, urged the board to fund the entire DPS request so cuts do not deepen. Teachers described concrete operational impacts: missed instructional minutes when buses run late, lack of custodial staff, and unfilled EC (exceptional children) positions that increase caseloads.
Christy Patterson, an EC special programs teacher and the association's vice president, cited federal obligations: "Are we operating under IDEA? Free and appropriate education. Appropriate. Am I providing appropriate education when we don't have enough bus drivers to properly get my students to their services?" Speakers asked the board to protect master's pay for all eligible staff, include social workers and related service providers, and to fund bus drivers and monitors to ensure student safety.
Commissioners said they heard the testimony and added local funding to the adopted budget; the final ordinance included additional dollars for DPS and a one‑time capital allocation. The transcript does not contain a line‑item reconciliation showing the board met the entire original DPS request; speakers characterized the board's vote as an important step toward maintaining services for students.
