Twelve Durham Public Schools Closed: Staff Calling Out of Work in Protest

Durham Public Schools (DPS) employees from twelve schools have called out from work today, Wednesday, January 31, to advocate for more resources in order to support students.

These schools are:

- The Whitted School

- Lyons Farm Elementary

- Forest View Elementary

- Riverside High School

- Jordan High School

- Lakewood Elementary

- Lucas Middle School

- Spring Valley Elementary

- Northern High School

- Githens Middle School

- Y.E. Smith Elementary

- Hillside High School

Durham Public Schools staff is participating in a sick-out to have their needs heard by the district, which include better salaries and working conditions so that employees are able to address students’ needs.

The Durham Association of Educators (DAE), which is the union representing DPS workers, has been in the middle of an ongoing campaign to give staff support to do their jobs adequately and a seat at the district’s decision-making table.

These efforts were increased when, on January 17, classified workers at DPS received significant pay cuts to what they were promised. The district informed staff that an accounting error had occurred. Staff were being “re-classified” based on experience, losing years of experience from other districts or private schools and thousands of dollars from their paychecks, sending workers into financial panic. Durham Public Schools’ Chief Financial Officer, Paul LeSieur, has since resigned.

In a statement released on Instagram, Symone Kiddoo, the DAE President, stated, “now that the administration is backtracking on its promise to staff, trust has been broken, not just with staff, but families across Durham County.”

Kiddoo added, “we want all of our kids to go to schools with the best educators, the best staff, and all the resources our kids need to be successful.”

As an estimated 75% of employees called off work, Durham Public Schools were forced to close. Bettina Umstead, DPS Board of Education (BOE) Chair, released a statement, sharing, “The Board of Education is absolutely committed to getting all matters with our employees resolved fairly and as soon as possible.” The Board will meet on Friday, February 2, to review classified staff salary proposals and discuss how to address the needs of their employees.

These school cancelations have a tremendous impact on the Durham community. Working parents will have to arrange childcare for their children. For students who depend on schools breakfasts and lunches, they will not have access to those meals as schools are closed.

The DAE understands the impact of the closed schools, and has called for community members who are able to bring packed lunches to the Staff Development Center. DPS students and families will be able to pick up food at the following locations:

- DPS Staff Development Center

- Iglesia Emanuel Food Pantry

- Believers United for Progress

- Jubilee Baptist

- Bell Yeager Free Will Baptist

- Russell Memorial CME

- Durham Community Food Pantry

The DAE has also organized a pickett outside of the Fuller Building from 2-5 pm today, encouraging members of the Durham community to show up to support public school staff.

As for when schools will reopen, parents, students, and community members are unsure of how long the sick-out will last. Staff will likely continue to call out from work until the Board meets their demands, putting pressure on the BOE to find a way to support workers with a limited budget.

** Note: This is a developing story, and Falcon Post will provide updates as developments continue to occur.

Sources

Thank you to Sydney Sarver for her research and reporting on the events when classified staff initially received pay cuts.

Schlemmer, L. (2024, January 31). Hundreds of Durham teachers, school staff stage“sick-out” and rally against revoked raises. WUNC: North Carolina Public Radio. https://www.wunc.org/education/2024-01-31 /durham-teachers-school-staff-sick-out-rally-revoked-raises

Umstead, B. (2024, January 30). A Message from Board Chair Bettina Umstead. Durham Public Schools. https://www.dpsnc.net/site/default.aspx?PageType=3&DomainID=39&ModuleInstanceID=8373 &ViewID=6446EE88-D30C-497E-9316-3F8874B3E108&RenderLoc=0&FlexDataID=112240&PageI D=71