Local Government
The last time Durham Public Schools tried to implement a brand new structure for classified worker pay, the district sent out letters of intent on which employees based critical spending decisions. They bought new cars. They moved into bigger apartments. And then district administrators discovered they’d botched the math,
News
The state of North Carolina would invest more than $1 billion to bolster public schools rather than funding private-school vouchers under the 2024-2025 budget plan proposed this week by Gov. Roy Cooper. The budget plan includes: * An average 8.5% teacher raise, plus a retention bonus for most teachers. * $725
![[Words of Kindness and Encouragement] Southwest's Winning Readers](/content/images/size/w600/wordpress/2024/03/messagesbubble.png)
Features
Congratulations to the students participating in Southwest Elementary School’s Battle of the Books team, who recently won their regional competition and are bound for the state showdown! Here’s a quote from Anna Quindlen in How Reading Changed My Life: “Books are the plane, and the train, and the
News
Three Durham area high schools made it into the top 100 list in North Carolina for U.S. News & World Report’s annual rankings of the country’s best high schools. The highest-ranked school in our area is Research Triangle High School, which came in fourth in the Durham
News
Durham Public Schools is set to hold its second annual Wellness Day on Friday, April 26, aimed at promoting student well-being. This event is part of a broader initiative to support the mental and physical health of students within the district. The introduction of Wellness Day last year was driven
Local Government
Demolition and asbestos abatement ahead of construction of the new Durham School of the Arts could move forward if the Durham Public Schools Board of Education approves $325,819 in funding for that phase. The board is set to discuss that proposal, with Monteith Construction/Balfour Realty Joint Venture in
News
The People’s Alliance Education Action Team on April 23 is hosting a community conversation about restorative practices in Durham Public Schools. The Zoom meeting, called “Safety, Wellness, and Restorative Practices: The Schools Our Students Deserve,” is scheduled for 6 p.m. It’s expected to feature a DPS student
![[SoDu Reading Room] How Effective Are Education Innovations?](/content/images/size/w600/wordpress/2024/04/SoDu-Reading-Room-Education.png)
Columns
In the latest SoDu Reading Room installment, we check out an article shared by KQED that was written by Jill Barshay and produced by The Hechinger Report, a nonprofit independent news organization focused on inequality and innovation in education. The short version: Federally funded education innovations don’t seem overwhelmingly
News
Can Durham Public Schools repair the damage done by the botched implementation of the last classified worker pay plan? The Board of Education meets today at 5:30 p.m. for a public hearing on the proposed 2024-25 budget, which includes an $8.8 million ask in an effort to
News
Hope Valley Elementary School celebrates teachers and staff the week of May 6-10, and the PTA has set aside Boosterthon funds for a catered breakfast and other events. But the PTA also seeks volunteers and donations to help with these activities. Appreciation opportunities include: * Catered lunch from Chick-fil-A. * Candy buffet
News
Book Harvest, a Durham nonprofit focused on children’s literacy, has again expanded its headquarters in the Rockwood strip center at 2501 University Dr. In a blog post Friday, the organization announced the expansion that now has it occupying the three middle units in the center that also includes Thai
News
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