Durham Superintendent Addresses Rocky Traditional School Year Start

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More than 50 Durham Public Schools teachers were underpaid in their latest paycheck, bus routes have run late, and students are suffering from the heat in about one-fifth of the district’s 57 school buildings.

Those are among the obstacles to DPS Superintendent Dr. Anthony Lewis’s stated dream “for Durham Public Schools to become a premier school district” that have arisen during the first week of traditional-calendar schools.

On Friday, the superintendent – just two weeks into his new job – issued a comprehensive statement addressing the concerns.

“Our school system is supported by thousands of employees who make learning happen every day, from ensuring that our learning environments are clean and safe to preparing our students to be critical thinkers and contributing citizens of society,” he said. “That said, there are systems that need to be addressed so that our fundamental operations are made more efficient.”

Critical Pay Issues

About 55 certified and licensed teachers were mistakenly paid as temporary full-time teachers – as if they were still awaiting their licenses.

“It is my understanding that 55 employees were underpaid because of an oversight on our part that involved changing their status from unlicensed to licensed or awaiting review by the state,” Lewis said. “Yesterday, our human resources and finance departments worked together to rectify this issue and cut separate checks to our employees who were underpaid during this pay period. We will continue to work toward changing employee status quickly once licensure requirements are met.”

The mishap triggered alarm bells for employees, particularly the Durham Association of Educators, who were vocal during the classified worker pay crisis earlier this year.

“As superintendent, I am very well aware that there is very little room for error in compensating for the excellent work we expect of our employees,” he said. “Accuracy and timeliness are non-negotiable.”

Transportation Reliability Breakdown

Problems with school bus transportation, especially at the beginning of the school year, aren’t rare, but Lewis still wants to work toward filling all driver vacancies to ensure that routes are managed efficiently.

“We ask for your patience as we cover your students’ transportation needs because honestly, substitutes must have time to acclimate to a route with which they are unfamiliar, and pick-ups and drop-offs may be slightly delayed,” he said. “Our bus drivers are a critical component to a child’s successful day, and it is imperative that routes are efficient, safety measures are practiced, and that we continue to recruit and train drivers.”

Hot Air in Old Schools

Recent hot weather exacerbated issues in older DPS buildings that are enduring problems with their HVAC systems.

“About one third of our buildings are operating beyond their life cycles,” Lewis said. “The key word is that we are operating, but they continue to need attention. Of our 57 school sites, about one-fifth have known HVAC issues that we will continue to monitor.”

He noted that DPS isn’t alone in coping with outdated equipment and buildings, and that the district will work with local governments to attack these problems.

As for the goal of turning Durham into a premier school district?

“I remain committed to that vision,” Lewis said. “We have identified the problems, and how we resolve them will take time. However, we know that the number-one solution involves student success.”