Durham Public Schools Board of Education Budget Hearing - March 5, 2026: Pay Raises and Library Funding
The Durham Public Schools Board of Education hears budget plans shaped by an uncertain state outlook, a new $20 minimum wage at Duke, and pressure to raise pay for classified staff and therapists. Librarians, support staff, and board members connect funding choices to equity, student services, and aging school facilities while the superintendent pledges to prioritize the district’s lowest-paid workers. 14mins
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Original Meeting
Thursday, March 5th, 2026
3710.0
#DPSCommunity | DPS Board of Education Budget Hearing | 3/5/26
Video Notes
#DPSCommunity | DPS Board of Education Budget Hearing | 3/5/26
In This Video
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Chief Finance Officer Teetor discussed how a new $20-per-hour minimum wage at Duke University, requests for local funds to support a 5% raise, a proposed $100 transportation safety supplement, and feedback from occupational and physical therapists were shaping the development of the second phase of the recommended budget.
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Chief Finance Officer Teetor explained that plans to reorganize human resources would likely be handled using existing central office positions rather than new funding, that staff were refining options for phasing in student devices by grade level, and that the roughly $16 million in additional operating requests and $3.7 million in capital outlay could still change after the upcoming work session.
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Board Member Natalie Beyer reflected on balancing living‑wage goals with pay compression, revisiting long‑term investments for EC students amid state caps, sustaining the case for a facilities bond to address aging buildings and critical repairs, and assessing whether local bonuses and pay changes were achieving their intended impact.
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Superintendent Dr. Anthony Lewis affirmed a commitment to directing a larger share of available funds to classified staff, drawing on personal family experience with low-wage school work to underscore understanding of their sacrifices and the need to better support the district’s lowest-paid employees.
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