Durham School Board approves to keep 11 percent raise for certified staff through end of school year
The Durham School Board has voted Thursday to maintain the 11% salary increase for certified staff for the remainder of the school year.
This decision comes after over a month of debate regarding the district's ongoing salary issues.
After more than a month, Durham Public Schools are expected to decide Thursday about the district’s ongoing salary issues.
Durham Public Schools Board of Education members plan to meet and discuss how much they will pay their classified employees.
The board has previously weighed four options, but only two are on the table.
Option 1 includes an 11% raise, and Option 2 includes a 15% raise.
While Option 1 is covered in the budget. Option 2 is $2 million over budget.
Both eliminate the salary study and restore legacy steps, which mean credit for outside experience, including private practice.
Durham Public School employees have held protests, and four days of school canceled over this issue.
Many of the employees do not like either of the options under consideration.
The board heard from Kerry Crutchfield, the district’s newly hired comptroller, about what he has found in the budget.
Crutchfield’s report said the salary study had important omissions and implementing it was like putting a square peg in a round hole. He recommends Option 1.
The district could implement salary decreases in the future once a permanent plan is in place.
Who is considered a 'classified' employee?
DPS Employees are either classified or certified.
Classified employees were impacted, but certified employees were not.
Bus drivers are classified employees but were not impacted due to a different past pay study for them.
Classified employees include:
- Instructional assistance
- Physical/occupational therapists
- Transportation workers (bus mechanics, supervisors, drivers)
- Building services
- Grounds crews
- Cafeteria workers
- Custodial staff
Certified employees include:
- Teachers
- Speech language pathologists
