Growing Together, Budget Planning on DPS Board Work Session Agenda

As a district, Durham Public Schools should see a slight enrollment increase for the 2024-25 academic year. District officials expect the school population to climb from 30,345 to 30,955 overall.

But some schools are projected to lose dozens of students as the DPS Growing Together plan continues to roll out.

During Thursday’s work session with the Board of Education, administrators are scheduled to present an update on the ambitious redistricting plan. This update was postponed from a previous meeting. The report includes information about projected enrollment at DPS elementary schools.

The new Murray-Massenburg Elementary School at Roxboro Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard in South Durham is set to open this fall with 348 students. Lyons Farm Elementary is expected to gain 88 new students with an expanded attendance boundary. Between 40 and 60 new students are coming to Y.E. Smith, Lakewood, C.C. Spaulding, and E.K. Powe elementary schools.

Significant enrollment drops could be coming to other elementary schools, including:

• Bethesda: 152.
• Parkwood: 128.
• Glenn: 121.
• Holt: 103.
• Spring Valley: 96.
• Merrick-Moore: 82.
• Eno Valley: 79.
• Hope Valley: 72.
• R.N. Harris: 71.
• Club Boulevard: 50.
• Creekside: 38.
• Eastway: 32.

Elementary application lottery demographics for South Durham schools include:

• Hope Valley: 3.6% Asian, 28.6% Black, 9.5% Multi-Racial, 0.7% Native American, 44.1% White, 0.7% Other.  
• Lyons Farm: 3% Asian, 26.7% Black, 11.9% Hispanic, 11.9% Multi-Racial, 42.6% White, 4% Other.
• Pearsontown: 5.9% Asian, 36.2% Black, 7.4% Hispanic, 10.1% Multi-Racial, 0.2% Native American, 36.2% White, 3.9% Other.
• Southwest: 0.9% Asian, 21.6% Black, 18.9% Hispanic, 11.7% Multi-Racial, 44.1% White, 2.7% Other.
• W.G. Pearson: 3.3% Asian, 46.5% Black, 20.6% Hispanic, 8.2% Multi-Racial, 0.5% Native American, 18.4% White, 2.6% Other.  

Overall, district officials are expected to report that the 2024 application lottery included 39% Black, 24% White, 24% Hispanic, and 13% Other students.

During the work session, board members also are expected to discuss the DPS legislative agenda for the year, with topics that range from supporting diversity, equity, and inclusion in public schools to battling privatization that undermines districts like DPS.

That legislative agenda also is expected to include a call for increased funding for certified and classified staff, with the goal of funding a living wage that matches employees of Durham County government.

Interim Superintendent Catty Moore plans to present her proposed budget for DPS, which requests $217.4 million – an increase of 12.52% or $26.07 million over the previous year.

“Durham Public Schools sits at a critical juncture,” Moore wrote in a message to the board. “Like others across the country, we are faced with the expiration of Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) one-time federal funds while the needs of our students and educators continue to grow.

“Additionally, the district has been challenged by the implementation of new compensation schedules for classified employees. This is ambitious, visionary work that is not often tackled by school districts. We know the significance of this for all employed by Durham Public Schools. Our employees are essential to the success of our students. In recognizing and honoring that, this proposal prioritizes compensation.”

Besides employee compensation, Moore identified priorities for DPS including:

• Operations: $1.5 million to support maintenance and repairs of aging facilities across the district.
• Legislative requirements: The district must account for state-mandated increases in salaries and benefits, plus $3.9 million earmarked for charter schools in Durham.
• Pre-K support: DPS wants more than $700,000 to add pre-K classrooms at the new Murray-Massenburg Elementary.

“It should go without saying that investing in Durham Public Schools is an investment in all of Durham,” Moore wrote. “Advocating for the needs of our students and employees is a constant reminder that we are all accountable for doing our part to ensure continued future success.”

The work session’s consent agenda includes:

• Consideration of a $1 million contract with Imagine Design & Production Services to renovate the theater at Riverside High School.
• A $1.2 million contract with Turner Townsend Heery for facility condition assessment management services, using 2022 school bond funds.
• A $436,000 proposal to spend donated money from philanthropist MacKenzie Scott on operational enhancements to emergency radio communications at Durham School of the Arts, Hillside High School, Jordan High School, Riverside High School, and Southern School of Energy and Sustainability.

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