Durham Schools Honor Achievers, Debate After-School Cost Hikes
The Durham Public Schools Board of Education celebrates outstanding students, staff, and teachers before turning to weighty topics including law enforcement policies, student safety concerns, and public comment on immigration enforcement and special education. Board members then grapple with budget pressures—from charter school growth to before- and after-school care—sparring over steep tuition increases, sliding-scale options, and how to involve families before final decisions are made. 53mins
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Original Meeting
Thursday, January 29th, 2026
15025.0
#DPSCommunity | DPS Board of Education Monthly Meeting | 1/29/26
Video Notes
#DPSCommunity | DPS Board of Education Monthly Meeting | 1/29/26
Wes Platt
Durham, NC
In This Video
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Executive Director Hayes honored instructional assistant Tamaja Nick Platts as the January Employee of the Month for exemplifying perseverance through flexible support across grade levels, leading intervention groups, contributing to restorative practices, and consistently taking on additional responsibilities to serve the school community.
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Superintendent Lewis summarized ongoing revisions to Policy 5120 on relationships with law enforcement, noting that input had been gathered from advisory councils, cabinet, the Sheriff’s Office, and legal counsel, and that further discussion including private zones would continue the following Monday.
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Ellen Holmes and another speaker questioned the district’s decision to stop sponsoring H1B visas for international teachers, emphasized the positive impact these educators had on students, referenced an internationally trained teacher highlighted in the superintendent’s update, and indicated plans to follow up with the board by email.
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Fern, a DPS parent and member of Durham Public School Strong, thanked the board for considering the proposed Private Zones policy, criticized the administration’s recommendation to reject it in favor of undisclosed existing protocols, and argued that an explicit policy was needed to govern school access and responses to immigration enforcement to protect students’ safety.
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Jordan High School teacher Ellen Holmes urged the board to approve the original version of Policy 5120 and the Private Zones administrative policy, warning that weakening or delaying these measures would endanger students and emphasizing that fear related to immigration enforcement was already harming students’ ability to attend and learn at school.
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Speakers from a housing and neighborhood coalition urged local boards to launch a community-centered planning process for the future of the Durham School of the Arts/old Durham High campus, emphasizing its historic importance and calling for affordable housing along the new rail trail, particularly on a three-acre parcel north of Minerva Avenue.
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Ruben Barfield reported that teacher and principal advisory groups raised concerns about stalled state pay progression, classroom out-of-pocket costs, and facility issues such as HVAC and roof leaks, and noted that the superintendent’s budget priorities—including addressing teacher supplements, classified pay, capital outlay, and potential weapon detection systems—aligned with this feedback.
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Ruben Barfield explained that charter school allocations exceeded Durham’s planned share of local revenues, creating a multi-million-dollar variance that central office addressed through budget cuts and a hiring freeze, and outlined next steps including a February 23 budget town hall and release of a draft budget before submitting a request to the county in March.
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Board Member Natalie Beyer emphasized the state’s constitutional funding obligation under Leandro, contrasted the city’s planned $25/hour minimum wage with the district’s limited ability to raise pay, and stressed the urgent need for substantial investment to address widespread HVAC and facility problems in schools.
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A staff member reported that the end of the North Carolina Child Care Stabilization Grant would require a tuition increase to sustain program quality and staffing, and provided an update on vacancies, star-rating work, enrollment, capacity, and elementary waitlists in the before- and after-school programs.
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A staff member presented an option for a 50% tuition increase in before- and after-school care, explaining that the projected revenue would cover operating expenses, help rebuild the fund balance, and reflect anticipated increases in salaries, benefits, operating costs, and family/employee discounts.
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Vice Chair Rogers asked for a clear recommendation between the two tuition increase options, and Superintendent Lewis endorsed option 1 to maintain a sustainable reserve fund, while Rogers emphasized the need for a work session and community feedback given the financial strain on families and broader economic concerns.
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Chair Umstead and a staff member noted the loss of 21st Century Community Learning Center funding for after-school programs and emphasized the need to set and communicate new summer camp and after-school tuition rates before upcoming registration and lottery periods so families could plan accordingly.
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A staff member explained that developing an accurate sliding-scale tuition model for before- and after-school care would require more time and likely delay the planned February 16 registration date, and Chair Umstead cautioned that any shift would affect families already planning and registering for summer programs.
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Vice Chair Rogers opposed an immediate 50% tuition increase for after-school care, argued that the board had been backed into a rushed decision without earlier discussion or community engagement, shared personal experience with childcare costs, and urged colleagues and staff to prepare options for action at the February work session.
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Beyer reiterated staff’s concerns about accurately modeling a sliding-scale tuition for the current year and questioned Board Member Chávez’s motion, expressing confusion about leaning toward the higher 50% increase option rather than the smaller-deficit option that still supported pay raises for after-school staff.
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Chair Umstead, Vice Chair Rogers, and Board Member Carda-Auten discussed the timeline for deciding on increased before- and after-school tuition rates, noting that a February 26 modeling deadline would likely push the final decision into March, acknowledging that rate hikes were inevitable, and requesting that staff provide research, modeling, and pros and cons for the board to weigh.
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Beyer asked for a friendly amendment that would notify families about impending rate increases without delaying summer camp registration or the after-school lottery, noting that a sliding-scale model might not be feasible for the coming year and expressing concern about postponing dates that families were eagerly awaiting.
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