More Disruption for a District Ready to Move On

As Thursday’s Board of Education meeting started, one sensed a community – teachers, staff, parents, and the politicians sitting on the board – ready to move on and start rebuilding after weeks of turmoil.
Superintendent Pascal Mubenga and former Chief Financial Officer Paul LeSieur were gone after apparently bungling the reconfiguration of classified worker pay. The board tapped veteran Wake County schools administrator Catty Quiroz Moore to guide Durham Public Schools as interim superintendent. They hired Kerry Crutchfield as comptroller to delve into the district’s finances.
The board was ready to fully fund classified checks for February, intending to find a sustainable long-term solution that demonstrated higher esteem for the district’s plumbers, nurses, and occupational therapists.
The Durham Association of Educators had helped coordinate protest days at schools throughout the county to draw attention to their demands for equitable treatment for classified workers and a seat at the table with district leaders. Board members on Thursday had agreed to start “meet and confer” sessions with the DAE. And the DAE, for its part, had assured the community that no further protest days were planned.
Then came the discordant note, the announcement that school would be canceled district-wide on Friday. The call-outs didn’t come from teachers, cafeteria workers, or custodians this time. Instead, it was school bus mechanics and supervisors flexing defiance.
And then, Friday evening, word came from the district: It could happen again on Monday. Families will know for sure on Sunday. The robocalls might come during the Super Bowl halftime show.
“On behalf of everyone at Durham Public Schools, I want to apologize for the disruptions you and your students have experienced,” said Bettina Umstead, chair of the DPS board. “Our goal is to provide our students with an exceptional education. To do that, we must minimize disruptions and maximize learning. We need our students in school, and the actions taken by the school board this week are designed to achieve that goal.”
The DAE has denied any connection to the bus mechanic callouts. Instead, the association’s leaders appear – if not satisfied at least less furious – after seeing the board comply with some of the group’s key demands, including:
- Maintaining February checks at the current level with steps based on total experience.
- Scheduling a work session on Feb. 15 with DAE to discuss the “meet and confer” policy.
- Calling on district administration to publicly clear up confusion about January supplemental checks.
“All of this was the direct result of our members taking historic action to organize our collective power,” the association said in a statement posted on Facebook. “Over the last few weeks, hundreds of union leaders across every building worked late nights, early mornings, and weekends in order to have thousands of conversations with their coworkers about the way forward. It has been an unprecedented effort in building solidarity across all certified and classified workers, and we are stronger than ever as a result.”
It’s not entirely clear why the mechanics called out Friday or why they may cripple the district again on Monday. However, the board is expected to meet next on Feb. 22 to resume discussions about how best to manage classified worker pay going forward.
“It is imperative that we learn from the mistakes that have occurred over the past year, so this type of situation does not happen again,” Umstead said. “To our staff members, I want to apologize for the anxiety and uncertainty that you have endured. We understand your frustration. This is not a problem of your making. This was our mistake, and we are determined to fix it. We appreciate you and value your contributions. We want you in our schools. We need you in our schools. And we are counting on you.”
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