The past month has led to a downward spiral for Durham public schools. The Durham Public School Board (DPS) has been going back and forth on their reaction to the “payroll error” affecting Durham teachers, bus drivers, cafeteria workers and other school staff members.
DPS told these workers that they would be compensated and receive a raise for their extra time worked and contributions to the school. Later on, after workers were paid, the DPS revoked the raise and took away their paychecks because they were being paid “too much.” Many teachers and other employees went on strike in reaction to the situation, causing Durham County to close schools for several days.. Some staff members have resigned from DPS, including their superintendent due to the situation as well.
At the monthly DPS board meeting on Feb 20, the board addressed the salary complications. Two plans were brought up in the meeting and it was agreed upon to give an 11 percent raise for all DPS workers. In addition to the raise, the board agreed to add a support system, “Meet & Confer,” that the educators union proposed. This new support system will collaborate with teachers and workers to help avoid a disaster like this one in the future.
Salary problems for staff workers and teachers have been a major conflict in North Carolina for the past couple of years. The number of marches, walk-outs and protests have risen due to the disconnect between employees and the state. Durham teacher Millie Rosen speaks on how she feels about the situation: “There is a lot of fear and anxiety hanging over my head, and I can’t imagine how it feels for classified coworkers. My classes get interrupted regularly with announcements about bus changes or cancellations; students are not able to focus in class when this happens. And I feel a lot of overall dread about if public schools will continue to be a viable career path for me and future educators.” This is a sentiment that has been shared by teachers at all levels in person and on social media.
What happened in Durham is a monumental moment in history for teachers across North Carolina. When asked about if something like this will likely happen to Wake County teachers, Millbrook teacher Mr. Sharpe says, “Since this incident in Durham had a profound effect, WCPSS will have higher standards in managing the financial department.” The situation will no doubt serve as a cautionary tale for other counties and drive them to make improvements.
Many teachers and workers are still worried for what they’re future holds but with this past board meeting they are seeking improvement!
