Durham

In its Thursday night board meeting, the Durham Public Schools’ board of education voted to maintain staff pay through February, tabled a decision on long-term pay, and appointed a new interim superintendent. Meanwhile, staff walk outs are closing all schools across the district on Friday.

Durham Public Schools' superintendent Pascal Mubenga resigned after it was found that the school district implemented raises for staff that were $9 million over budget due to miscommunication in his administration.

The Durham Association of Educators announced a second "day of protest" for Monday, Feb 5. A majority of educators at seven schools plan to take leave to call for the school board to maintain recent staff raises through February.

In a 5-4 vote, the school board moved to table its discussion on how to pay this month’s salaries for the district’s roughly 2,200 support staff.

Durham Public Schools has been rocked by staff sick-outs after the district announced its plans to revoke raises for some classified staff who had received them for months. The chaos is disrupting life for families across the district, but especially for students with disabilities who often rely on classified staff far more than other students.

The Durham Association of Educators says at least 75% of school employees at 12 Durham public schools called out of work Wednesday to protest recent cuts to raises for classified staff. Educators gathered at the Minnie Forte-Brown Staff Development Center on Hillandale Road in Durham on Wednesday morning to protest.

A majority of school employees at 12 schools in Durham Public Schools plan to be absent Wednesday after submitting their leave requests Tuesday afternoon. The Durham Association of Educators (DAE) says at least 75% of school employees at each of these schools are walking out to protest recent cuts to raises for classified staff.

In a tense meeting Thursday night, Durham Public Schools’ Board of Education approved a budget amendment that allows classified staff to continue receiving recent raises through the end of January. Earlier this month, the district informed staff their raises would end abruptly due to an accounting error.

Thousands of Duke Energy customers have gone over 24 hours without power. Durham County is opening an emergency shelter tonight.

Last year, the Durham Bulls joined The Nine Initiative, a program launched by Minor League Baseball to uplift the legacy of Black baseball history. Youth Reporter Olivia Haynie takes a look at the history of the Black Sox, one of Durham’s Negro Minor League teams, and their impact on Durham culture.