Durham rallies: Workers march to protest pay issues, 12 schools closed Wednesday
Hundreds of Durham Public Schools employees called out of work Wednesday, gathering to protest pay issues at two rallies.
At 10 a.m., close to 500 people rallied and marched outside the Minnie Forte-Brown building for more than two hours. The second rally was a packed picket line outside the downtown Durham offices, where people started gathering around 2 p.m.
Hundreds of Durham teachers called out sick Wednesday and rallied in the rain and 40-degree weather, calling for better pay and a solution to their staffing crisis.
As a result of the "sickout," 12 of the district's schools were closed on Wednesday, including:
- Hillside High School
- Y.E. Smith Elementary
- Riverside High School
- Northern High School
- The Whitted School
- Lyons Farm Elementary
- Githens Middle School
- Spring Valley Elementary
- Forest View Elementary
- Lakewood Elementary
- Lucas Middle School
- Jordan High School
According to Symone Kiddoo, president of the Durham Association of Educators (DAE), the educators called out from work to attend the DAE’s protest of recent decisions made by the school system amid the ongoing staffing crisis.
"School staff remain upset by the district’s failure to be transparent about its budgeting and decision-making, its lack of action on years of experience and staff salary," the DAE said in a press release. "And not being inclusive of educators’ voices. Until respect is given, trust cannot be rebuilt."
The pay issues mainly impact classified staff, which does not include teachers. Many of the people protesting Wednesday were teachers who told WRAL News they want to support their colleagues.
"I'm definitely going to support my team no matter what ... we are a family, we are the glue of our school," said Laroy Morton, a cafeteria manager at Githens Middle School. "If they're going through something, I'm going through it as well."
Classified staff tell WRAL News they are no longer getting credit for years of service in the private sector or out of state. While they may not be traditional teachers, among classified staff are instructional assistants and physical and occupational therapists who help children access education.
"We have many students at my school receiving special education services, and they’re also the youngest in the district," Hovis said. "They’re preschoolers. If we don’t have the staff to meet their needs, then we won’t have the ability to provide that free and appropriate public education that they are mandated to have by law.”
Workers will not have to pay back money from past paychecks that were overpaid, and Durham Public Schools was able to provide a short-term fix for employee salaries through January, but the district has not come up with a long-term solution.
"As a new mom, I understand the anxiety that comes with last-minute changes to schedules and the burdens this may cause," Kiddoo said in a statement on Facebook. "But I assure you, we are doing this for our current and future students."
Kristin Hovis, a speech language pathologist, said the pay issue directly impacts children's education in Durham.
“My concern is we’re already understaffed," Hovis said. "If people’s pay is not sustainable for them to pay their bills, they will look for other employment, and then we will be even more understaffed ... and in the end our students are the ones who suffer the most.”
Hovis said she and her fellow educators are thinking of their students as they protest.
Kiddoo said the protest is in response to years of "the state’s chronic underfunding of public schools" but was expedited due to a change in policy that forced staff to take a pay cut after the school system said they would not recognize years of experience in other districts.
The DAE said in a press release that this new policy will negatively impact more than 1,300 workers.
The DPS Board of Education said in a statement that the district is continuing to work with employees on a resolution.
"The Board of Education is committed to getting all matters with our employees resolved fairly and as soon as possible," Bettina Umstead, chair of the DPS Board of Education, said. "In the meantime, we appeal to everyone in Durham Public Schools to remember our mission and our commitment to providing our students with the best possible education."
"Now that the administration is backtracking on its promise to staff, trust has been broken, not just with staff, but families across Durham County." she said.
Lunch and dinner available for families
Many students in the district depend on school lunches. mothers like Gwen Nagle, who dropped off boxes of sandwiches and snacks for students stuck at home.
"Everyone I know including myself is just horrified by the situation because you know that public schools are underfunded, but it just takes one situation like this to really break the system," Nagle said.
Nagle said she hopes these disruptions will force the school board and superintendent to listen to teacher and staff demands.
Families from the closed schools were able to pick up food Wednesday at the following locations:
- DPS Staff Development Center: 2107 Hillandale Road, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
- Iglesia Emanuel: 2504 N Roxboro St., 2 to 4 p.m.
- Believers United for Progress: 1306 Fayetteville St., 3 to 6 p.m.
- Jubilee Baptist: 2025 Ephesus Church Road, Chapel Hill, 10:30 a.m.
- Bell Yeager Free Will Baptist: 128 E Cornwallis Road, 10 to 12 p.m.
- Russell Memorial CME: 703 S Alston Ave., 9 a.m. to noon
- Durham Community Food Pantry: 2020 Chapel Hill Rd #30, between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. or 5 p.m. and 7 p.m.
Durham teachers earn less than Wake, Johnston teachers in some instances
Pay scales aren't only set depending on the position and experience but also if the employee is a certified or classified staff member. If certified, like a teacher, the state sets the scale but the district does for those who are classified, like a bus driver or physical therapist. The nuances of that make understanding pay somewhat complex.
Teachers at Durham Public Schools are making less than those in Johnston and Wake counties but aren't the lowest, according to publicly available information. A first-year teacher with a bachelor's degree but without national certification, earns more than $45,000 annually while a teacher with the same education but 10 years experience makes about $56,000.
The calculations are even more nuanced when it comes to a position like a physical therapist. Some districts take into account private sector experience while others don’t. Previously, Durham was doing so, meaning someone with 10 years in the field would start making over $84,000.
When Durham decided not to give step increases for experience outside the school district or other government agencies, a therapist enters the district making the same as someone who hasn’t ever worked a day in that career – at about $73,000. That's 14 percent less than they were being paid.
Bus drivers are classified employees, but were not impacted due to a different past pay study for them.
