DPS Classified Employees Keeping Increased Pay - For Now

Classified employees working for Durham Public Schools will keep their increased pay rate through January, according to Bettina Umstead, chair of the DPS Board of Education.

So they won’t have pay clawed back by the district for October through December, and they keep that rate through January. It remains to be seen, however, if the rate will persist going forward. Another update is due at Thursday’s board meeting.

Umstead read a statement after Monday’s closed-door meeting between board members and the district’s attorney, in which she apologized for the confusion and indicated higher pay rates would be honored, at least for this month and for the paychecks since the new rates were approved in October.

This comes after more than a week of unrest in the school district after classified employees – including school bus mechanics, instructional assistants, and occupational therapists – were told they had been overpaid since October.

“We are so sorry for the harm caused,” Umstead said, “and understand there is frustration among employees who were affected, as well as throughout our DPS community. I want to be clear that we value each and every one of our employees, and that we are working hard to resolve this situation to understand how this happened and how it can be avoided in the future, and to earn back your trust.”

She said the board is retaining an outside financial consultant to review the matter and asked the district’s legal team to investigate so that the Board of Education can “properly rectify the issue.”

The board has asked administrators to find sufficient funds by Thursday’s meeting to allow employees to keep all pay received through Dec. 31, 2023, and so they can be paid at the same rate for January 2024.

“Separately, the board has heard our employees’ concerns regarding the use of years of service in any compensation plan adopted by the board,” Umstead said. “The board is working diligently to address this concern.”

She described classified employees as “the heartbeat of our school system,” acknowledging their work as vital to students and the district’s mission.

“I know this has been hard for everyone in our Durham community, but what I love about Durham is that we face our challenges straight on and collectively work to find solutions, which our board is committed to doing in this situation,” Umstead said.

When school bus mechanics called out after the pay controversy started, bus drivers called out too – some in solidarity with the mechanics. But some drivers who showed up simply didn’t want to drive buses without having mechanics on-hand to help repair vehicles, worried they might be stranded on the road with their student passengers.

That left the district scrambling to ask parents to manage transportation for children going to and from school.

Cafeteria workers called out, leaving other staff and administrators to take over in food lines.

Jordan High School’s PTA reached out on social media after custodians called out, asking parents to assist with trash cleanup.

But buses and staffing generally seemed back to normal on Monday.

“I cannot confirm call-outs, but on any given day there are absences among all employee groups,” said Crystal Kimpson Roberts, director of strategic communications for DPS. “Our buses operated sufficiently this morning, and school meals will be served.”

The Board of Education meets next on Thursday at 6:30 p.m. at the Minnie Forte-Brown Staff Development Center at 2107 Hillandale Rd. to accommodate what’s expected to be a large crowd including affected staff, supporters, and DPS families. The Durham Association of Educators is moving its demonstration to that site ahead of the meeting, starting at 5:30.

“The board’s commitments to finding the funds to keep January paychecks the same as promised, and to make sure no one has to pay back any money, are great first steps,” said Symone Kiddoo, president of the DAE. “We’re excited to hear more details and a solid vote for a plan on Thursday.”

She said the next step for the district to regain trust is “ensuring that they continue to listen and collaborate.”

“We are asking the board to formalize the voice workers will have, through the union, on the resolution of the issue about steps, compensation, and other issues that affect our schools moving forward,” Kiddoo said.

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