DPS Board Narrowly Approves Meet and Confer Policy Updates Amid Division Over Process

The board narrowly passed changes to its meet and confer policy after a tense debate over legal risks, trust, and process, with concerns about third-party certification and representation thresholds taking center stage. The meeting also covered a $1 billion facilities needs assessment, tough budget choices, and celebrated student and teacher achievements. 38mins

Budget Education Staff
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Original Meeting

Thursday, May 22nd, 2025
19208.0
Full Meeting on YouTube
Video Notes

#DPSCommunity | DPS Board of Education Monthly Meeting | 5/22/25

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Alex Rosen
Durham, North Carolina
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In This Video
  • Megan Stillwagon advocated for using the district's fund balance to provide retroactive pay for school social workers and bus monitor supplements, emphasizing the need to address past miscommunications about master's pay.
  • Board Member Chávez presented proposed modifications to the meet and confer policy, including an 11% threshold, a definition for employee representative organizations, and a third-party certification process.
  • Board Member Beyer emphasized the need for thorough legal review of the revised meet and confer policy and expressed support for adjusting the certification date to allow for careful consideration.
  • Attorney Malone advised that a 6% threshold for policy certification is more legally defensible than 11%, though 11% could still potentially be defended if challenged.
  • Attorney Malone confirmed that third-party verification is legally permissible but raised concerns about ensuring confidentiality of information shared with the consultant.
  • Vice Chair Carda-Auten expressed support for the proposed policy modifications, emphasizing the importance of addressing staff concerns and ensuring a smooth process for the meet and confer policy.
  • Board Member Umstead expressed concerns about confidentiality in third-party certification, frustration with last-minute policy changes, and the lack of a clear, inclusive process for policy review.
  • Board Member Harrell Goff defended the policy process, emphasized transparency and collaboration, and expressed frustration with ongoing debate over the proposed changes.
  • Board Member Beyer called for tabling the policy decision until June 10th to allow for a more unified and thorough process, citing the divisive nature of the issue and the need for legal clarity.
  • Board Member Beyer acknowledged DAE's efforts to manage frustrations over policy delays and expressed support for a straightforward policy without additional third-party verification details.
  • Board Member Chávez described finalizing policy language allowing employee representative organizations to choose district or third-party certification, with third-party costs covered by the organization.
  • Board Member Umstead urged the board to address unresolved confidentiality concerns with third-party certification and called for further review to ensure the policy is thorough and clear.
  • Vice Chair Carda-Auten expressed support for third-party certification in the policy, acknowledged confidentiality concerns, and suggested refining the appendix with legal counsel as a compromise.
  • Board Member Goff supported separating the policy addendum to address key concerns, emphasizing the need to build trust and reach consensus among the board, administration, and employee representative organizations.
  • Board Member Beyer urged the board to vote down the current motion due to lack of thorough legal review and last-minute changes, advocating for a cleaner, well-prepared policy to be considered in June.
  • Board Member Chávez responded to criticism by asserting that the policy process was not collaborative at key points and objected to claims of dishonesty.
  • Chair Rogers acknowledged the difficulty of the policy debate, emphasized the board's support for DAE's participation in meet and confer, and expressed appreciation for the advocacy and trust of DAE members.
  • Board Member Tabb stated opposition to the 11% threshold in the policy, citing Attorney Malone's advice, but expressed willingness to support the rest of the proposal if amended.
  • Board Member Umstead discussed the importance of trust, collaboration, and open communication among board members as they considered supporting the policy despite lingering questions and frustrations with the process.
  • The board approved the policy in a 4-3 vote.
  • Chair Rogers introduced the facilities conditions assessment and learning environment guidelines as the next agenda item.
  • Devan Mitchell introduced a high-level overview of a comprehensive facilities evaluation conducted by consultant teams as part of developing the district's capital improvement plan.
  • Jessica Killian described how a team of engineers and architects conducted a detailed assessment of all district facilities, compiling data on building systems, deficiencies, and costs into a comprehensive database for both district-wide and individual facility summaries.
  • The consultants reported that Durham Public Schools faces nearly $1 billion in facility needs over the next 10 years, with over half of that amount required immediately to address systems that have exceeded their useful life.
  • Vice Chair Carda-Auten pressed for answers about what happens next.
  • Devan Mitchell explained that the district is analyzing facility data to identify and prioritize immediate safety and critical needs, which will be detailed in the upcoming capital improvement plan on a school-by-school basis.
  • Chief Finance Officer Teeter introduced an interactive prioritization tool to help the board evaluate decisions based on the county manager's recently proposed local budget.
  • Chief Finance Officer Teeter summarized that the county manager proposed an additional $10,353,550 for the current budget expansion, with $6,353,550 allocated for continuation items necessary to maintain current operations.
  • Chief Finance Officer Teeter summarized board consensus on budget priorities, highlighting support for a $300 teacher supplement, a $2,000 bus driver supplement, master's pay at 5% for all eligible certified staff, and increased resources for Growing Together positions, child and family health engagement, and exceptional children services.
  • Chief Finance Officer Teeter compared board and cabinet budget priorities, noting broad agreement on key items such as bus driver and teacher supplements, master's pay, Growing Together positions, and support for exceptional children, with only minor differences remaining.
  • Doctor Lewis announced that DSA won the 2025 North Carolina State Battle of the Books Championship and recognized the team members and coaches.
  • Doctor Lewis recognized community businesses for supporting the Teacher of the Year celebration and announced that Alex Virgil was named the 2024-2025 DPS Teacher of the Year.
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