Durham schools closings: Answers to questions about classes, meals, schedules and more

Many Durham public schools are closed Wednesday as staff are staging a “sickout” over unresolved salary issues.

The News & Observer is keeping a running list of questions and answers about the day’s happenings and the events that led to this. The story will be frequently updated as we learn more.

What’s happening at Durham Public Schools?

At least 12 Durham public schools are closed Wednesday as staff — furious about unresolved salary issues — call in sick to attend protests.

Which Durham schools are closed?

The following DPS schools are closed Wednesday. The schools will not offer bus routes.

• Y.E. Smith Elementary

• The Whitted School

• Lyons Farm Elementary

• Forest View Elementary

• Lakewood Elementary

• Spring Valley Elementary

• Githens Middle

• Lucas Middle

• Riverside High

• Northern High

• Jordan High

• Hillside High

There are 56 schools in the Durham Public Schools district.

Do DPS students have remote learning opportunities Wednesday?

There is no remote learning Wednesday, said DPS spokesperson Crystal Kimpson Roberts.

Why are DPS teachers protesting?

The sickout is protesting the school district withdrawing raises for 1,300 classified staff members, including bus mechanics, cafeteria workers and physical therapists.

The staff members received significant raises in October and have been drawing paychecks since then to reflect that raise. But earlier this month, employees learned that the school district had budgeted incorrectly and could not pay those higher salaries.

The raises are being withdrawn by changing the way Durham counts experience, excluding any years spent in the private sector.

What that means: A mechanic with five years of experience with DPS and 10 years of experience with a private company would be placed on Step 15. Now the same employee would be on Step 5, erasing hundreds of dollars from monthly paychecks

What are DPS teachers demanding by protesting?

The Durham Association of Educators has the following core demands:

• No pay cuts

• Reverse the policy to erase years of experience earned outside DPS

• A seat at the table during decision-making and greater transparency

Do DPS children have lunches available today?

Yes. The Association of Educators said packed lunches will be available to help students and families in need at the following sites.

• 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 in Chapel Hill (10:30 a.m.)

• Bell Yeager Free Will Baptist: 128 E. Cornwallis Road (10 a.m. to 12 p.m.)

• Russell Memorial CME: 703 S. Alston Ave. (9 a.m. to 12 p.m.)

• Durham Community Food Pantry: 2020 Chapel Hill Road (10 a.m. to 1 p.m.) (5 to 7 p.m.)

Meal service is in operation at schools that are open today, said the DPS spokesperson.

Will Durham schools be closed Thursday Feb. 1?

The News & Observer asked union organizers whether other schools would close this week and they declined to answer directly.

Symone Kiddoo, president of the NC Association of Educators, said if demands are not met, workers will “continue to feel frustrated.” She would not comment on the possibility of more school closures.

Is it legal for NC teachers to go on strike?

Educators are not calling this effort a strike but a “sickout,” as they are calling in sick to attend the organized protests.

“Public employees do not have the right to strike. Under North Carolina law, public school employees are public employees,” David Zonderman, an organized labor expert with NC State, told The N&O.

“If Durham County decided to play hardball and make a legal issue, they could go into court. My guess is they would try to make a ‘walk like a duck, talk like a duck’ argument, saying this looks like a strike. A group of teachers all didn’t show up on the same day.”

Were DPS employees ‘overpaid’? By how much?

Employees were expecting raises approved in 2023 to take effect at the start of this school year. The raises didn’t start showing up until October, although the pay bumps were promised to be retroactive.

Monthly paychecks were expected to vary dramatically over the past four months, with the raises, retroactive pay, holiday bonuses and new benefits selections all affecting the numbers workers saw on their pay stubs.

“We’re not going to have consistent checks for a while,” school board member Natalie Beyer warned in an October board meeting. “I feel like we can’t overcommunicate that.”

The district said in mid-January that accounting errors had occurred and some classified staff had been overpaid for months.

But educators have refuted that characterization, saying they were promised the wages and have actually been underpaid for years.

How did the ‘accounting error’ happen to overpay DPS staff?

The new wages for classified staff were changed based on a consultant’s recommendations in a salary study presented in 2023.

The Board of Education was given $4 million by the county to pay for the salary study’s implementation this school year. They spent another $4.5 million of the school district’s reserves to not claw back wages paid through the end of January.

That means the error, which school officials won’t answer questions about, likely tallied eight figures.

DPS Finance Director Paul LeSieur, who had initially been suspended with pay, resigned. The district said its attorneys and an outside consultant are investigating.

Who is conducting the DPS salary investigation?

The school district stopped answering questions about the matter mid-January, saying an active investigation is underway by its attorneys at Tharrington Smith.

“Due to the sensitive and critical nature of this matter, we are not able to provide any further public statements to the media,” an emailed statement read.

Board of Education Chair Bettina Umstead said an “outside financial consultant” will also investigate.

Will DPS students have to make up today’s school day?

That is to be determined, DPS’ Roberts said.

When were parents notified of Wednesday’s school closure?

Tuesday night.

“Parents were notified last night as soon as it was determined that school was not possible due to staff leave,” DPS’ Roberts said.