Durham Public Schools is facing a $7 million budget shortfall

Durham Public Schools is facing a  million budget shortfall

DURHAM, NC (WNCN) – Durham Public Schools is facing a nearly $7 million budget shortfall. Superintendent Dr. Anthony Lewis discussed the challenges on Friday before the meeting with the school board next week, saying he wants to be open to the public about these issues.

“Currently, our most difficult challenge is to ensure the financial sustainability of this school system,” said Dr. Lewis.

Chief Financial Officer Jeremy Teetor said the challenges include not properly budgeting for charter schools, the lack of a child feeding program, and having more staff than the recommended budget.

Of those 315 more positions, he wrote in board documents that 247 are vacant. The county will face a major deficit if those gaps are closed.

Teetor said the shortfall would have been worse if it weren’t for former interim Superintendent Catty Moore recommending that the district set aside 15% of its operating budget so the new administration can handle things.

“That was a huge saving grace for the county, so that act alone was worth $26.4 million,” Teetor said.

The Durham Association of Educators, however, sees it differently, saying the wasted money and empty referrals are a drain on the community it never had.

“Now, the district is looking at an additional $7 million, possibly through layoffs and layoffs, to balance their books. Make no mistake, this district administrator is proposing $33.4 million in cuts to essential staff and resources that our students need,” he said. DAE statement in part.

Dr Lewis said his aim was to raise funds without impacting students and staff.

“So, we don’t expect that there will be any big cuts or hard requests from the board,” Teetor said. “It will just be an opportunity for us to tighten the belt.”

Teetor discussed how the district ended up going into hibernation.

“I would not point anything to certain decisions made by a person, but it was just a fact that the district did not have a financial officer to lead those decisions, be at the table, and start predicting things that should happen. out of that historic investment from ESSER dollars,” Teetor said.

Former CFO Paul LeSieur was suspended and then resigned last January amid a regional pay dispute.

Teetor said staff increases approved at the end of last year did not contribute to the shortfall.

Dr Lewis pointed to Friday’s news conference as a way for DPS to demonstrate that it is being transparent and open about its budget.

The DAE, which has been seeking greater input into regional decision-making through the Meet and Confer policy, said there is still work to be done in terms of transparency.

“DPS’s problems will not get better until the district commits to transparency, accountability, and collaboration, and stops union busting by passing a real Meet and Confer policy to engage with its employees in a meaningful way. It has led to serious mistakes from the city — and the students and frontline staff should they paid the price,” the statement said.

Dr. Lewis said the district is launching a series called Dollars and Decisions to help the public learn more about the DPS budget process. The district will discuss the budget in more detail with the board at its Tuesday meeting.



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