Cuts Looming for DPS Budget
Nearly 22,000 teachers in California could lose their jobs due to the budget crisis. That headline has drawn a lot of attention nationwide, but Durham Public Schools also is facing staff cuts as the district deals with what could be $20 million in reductions from state and local sources for the 2010-11 school year.
The seriousness of the budget situation cannot be overstated, according to Interim Superintendent Hank Hurd, a school finance expert who formerly headed school finance for the state. “These are unprecedented cuts that we are facing next school year. We have received input from schools and talked with parent leaders but the fact remains that the cuts are so huge that they will definitely have an impact on the classroom.”
Parents, teachers and principals all are expressing concerns to Durham County Commissioners and state legislators. DPS Principals recently issued a letter that urges the commissioners to, “consider the impact of financial decisions that may cause us to compromise the effectiveness of our instructional program that the Durham community has come to expect.”
Kristy Moore, Durham Association of Educators President, said, “We have to speak out in order for the County Commissioners and state legislators to realize that we are working as hard as we can to teach each and every child in our class with the limited resources we have; we cannot afford to lose anything else. Increased class sizes and the loss of resources will affect the quality of education, and we cannot stand by and let that happen again. It is time to stand together and speak up for the profession we all love so much."
Interim Superintendent Hurd will present the proposed budget to the Board of Education on April 29. That budget will outline proposed cuts totaling some $20 million. Already, the proposal to cut some 60 Central Services positions and 25 percent from Central Services program budgets, totaling approximately $3.5 million, along with stipends for extra duty, software programs, furlough days and a small supplement reduction are being discussed.
DPS has created a Website that features the latest budget information. That site is at http://www.dpsnc.net/about-dps/budget
