Occupational and physical therapists and advocates told the Durham school board that salary schedules and delayed or low pay have driven experienced clinicians out of the district, leaving some schools without OT coverage and forcing many therapists to take second jobs; the district's budget engagement shows classified pay and therapist compensation as top priorities.
Durham Public Schools presented a Priority 2 update showing preliminary reductions in disciplinary incidents (19,972 to 14,161 year-over-year) and declines in restorative-practices and suspension assignments, while staff and board emphasized uneven implementation, data caveats and requests for disaggregated suspension data by infraction and grade level.
The board used a randomized "wheel" selection to seat community, parent, teacher, principal and partner representatives to a new legislative steering committee; the appointments and alternates were moved, seconded and approved unanimously.
The UNC School of Government's Development Finance Initiative (DFI) presented a phase-1 feasibility proposal for the former Lowes Grove School site, describing community engagement, parcel and market analysis, financial modeling and a proposed 56-month timeline with a $72,400 fee; Durham County will cover the cost of the initial phase, staff said.
Participants at a special called meeting approved the agenda and then voted unanimously to enter a closed session "for the reasons stated on the agenda," saying the session would not be streamed and that no action would follow.
At a specially called Dec. 22 meeting the Durham Public Schools board approved the agenda, entered closed session, and unanimously voted to table a personnel matter to the Jan. 15 work session before adjourning.
The board approved first reading of an emergency naloxone policy, agreeing to require multiple trained DPS staff per school and asking administration to clarify minimum device supply, storage, and implementation details before the second reading in January.
Durham Public Schools unveiled a revised continuous‑improvement reporting format for Strategic Priority 1, showed mixed early results (strength in K–2 literacy, concerning declines in high‑school math 3) and heard finance staff warn of enrollment-driven budget gaps and potential impacts on staffing and contracts.
Facing a projected multimillion-dollar shortfall, the Durham school board voted to terminate two vendor contracts and to end its relationship with SiteLogic after public testimony that SiteLogic saved energy costs; board asked staff for additional evidence on reported savings and directed a January update on sustainability and SiteLogic.
On first reading the board approved restoring language omitted during a prior policy transition to clarify how the district will handle law‑enforcement interactions, publishing memoranda of understanding and interpreter requirements; board waived second reading and accepted amendments replacing 'whenever feasible' with 'shall, except in cases of emergency.'
