Teacher Pay

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.

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.

Democrats in the General Assembly put the blame on Republican leadership for what they describe as chronic underfunding of schools.They say the failure to pass a state budget by July - when it's supposed to take effect - is making matters worse.

“It’s clear that the Republican legislature is aiming to choke the life out of public education,” Gov. Cooper said in a recorded speech released Monday.

The superintendent of Wake County Schools has shared a budget proposal that would require a 9% increase in county funding to pay for school employee raises and other school improvements.

A Wake County teacher has launched an online tool to help teachers calculate how much money they've lost over their careers due to inflation.

The North Carolina Board of Education unanimously approved a statement today calling for the pay boost.