Durham Public Schools tells county the state pay framework shifts local budget pressure

Durham Public Schools presented its continuation budget request to the Durham County Board of Commissioners and warned that a recently announced state budget framework will shift costs and complicate local planning.

Jeremy Teeter, the district’s chief financial officer, summarized the state framework reported in a General Assembly briefing: an average 8% raise for certified teachers and a 3% raise for classified staff, plus a proposed one‑time bonus that varies by years of service and salary band. “It was an average 8% raise for certified teachers and a 3% raise for classified,” Teeter said, noting the certified‑pay increases are highly differentiated by step.

Why it matters: Durham’s local implications depend on where the district’s locally funded employees sit on the state schedule. Teeter said Durham’s locally funded average teacher sits around step 6, which produces a district‑level weighted‑average increase of roughly 4.28% across locally funded employee types under the announced framework. The presentation also flagged uncertainty about whether the state will assume master’s‑level pay and how one‑time bonuses will behave in local accounting.

The district described internal measures already taken to reduce cost pressure: the board previously authorized elimination of about 27 central‑office positions (roughly $2,000,000) and the termination of more than $663,000 in local service contracts. Officials also brought a capital outlay request that would add $2,823,004.88 this year to finance replacement of aging student devices and interactive classroom panels.

Dr. Lewis, the superintendent, and Teeter emphasized enrollment decline and charter growth as structural revenue pressures. Superintendent Lewis said the district is down about 1,000 students this year — a combination of lower birth rates, Opportunity Scholarship take‑up and charter enrollment — and described targeted marketing and a parent‑ambassador campaign to recruit families back to Durham Public Schools. “We launched a campaign about a month ago that highlights some of our families, sharing why I chose DPS,” the superintendent said.

Commissioners pressed staff on which roles are locally funded, how step‑placement and prior experience credit are handled, and what the county manager’s recommended budget plus the state proposal would mean for classified hourly pay. Teeter explained that many classified roles (instructional assistants, bus drivers) receive state allotments, while local funds pay for building maintenance staff and certain paraprofessionals; in some cases Durham supplements state ceilings for competitiveness.

What's next: Staff said they are reworking long‑form analysis and work papers to show detailed local impacts and compression risks and will continue updating the board as new state details emerge. Commissioners suggested the county and the schools coordinate advocacy on unresolved state decisions (for example, master’s pay) and consider re‑directing internal savings where possible to raise the bottom floor for locally funded positions.