Southpoint Access

[SoDu Sunrise Showcase] Deferring Affordable Dreams

What price will Durham Public Schools pay by shifting philanthropic funds to balance this year's budget? Plus, N.C. launches a PowerSchool investigation.

Wes Platt

07 Feb 2025 — 3 min read

The good news, it seems, is that Durham Public Schools identified a huge chunk of unrestricted funds to help balance the books for the 2024 budget.

But the bad news is that DPS had plans for a lot of that money, contributed in 2022 by philanthropist MacKenzie Scott. Among those plans: $1 million toward affordable teacher housing in Durham, where an educator at Southwest Elementary School might have a hard time buying on their solo salary.

Said Board of Education Member Natalie Beyer during Thursday night's work session: "And so while we access these (funds), I think it's critical that we not let those dreams die and those plans die going forward."

Deferring this idea, at the very least, buys DPS a little time to shore up the budget for 2025-2026 - and hopefully avoid cutting into programs and staffing at the school level.

But pass-through funds for charter schools paid by DPS and other public school districts don't seem to be decreasing. Republicans in the state legislature have imposed their "opportunity scholarship" plan, which diverts more revenue away from public schools. And on the federal level, we've seen rumblings about trying to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education.

I don't know about you, but to me it feels like we're just barely bailing out a rowboat while a tsunami's building ahead of us. Let me know how you're feeling. You can email wes.platt@southpointaccess.news or call 919-695-9813, ext. 800.

But what about other news?

Delving into a Data Breach

Remember that data breach in the PowerSchool academic software, which may have exposed vital information about DPS staff and students? Well, our state's new attorney general, Jeff Jackson, this week announced he opened an investigation into the system. Jackson's office reported that about 4 million North Carolinians were affected by the PowerSchool breach in 2024 - a year that saw a record number of data security breaches in the Tarheel State.

[Nerdspresso] New Star Trek Flick Sets Phasers on Dumb: Not even the usually flawless Michelle Yeoh can save this silly action outing with a Star Trek skin.

[Podcast] SoDu We Like Local News Episode 8: Money Under the Couch Cushions.

[SoDu How-To] Apply for Durham Pre-K 2025-2026: For parents with kids turning 4 by Aug. 31, here's what you need to know about public pre-kindergarten options.

[Crossword] Political Animals: Enjoy crossword puzzles? Each week, I try to share at least one on Southpoint Access.