DURHAM, N.C. — Durham Public Schools recently identified a budget shortfall of nearly $7 million.

This trend is happening in more and more school districts across the state and across the country. For years schools were receiving COVID-19 and emergency relief funding. But with those programs over, many schools can’t keep operating the way they were.

Durham Public Schools Superintendent Anthony Lewis explained more about the hard decisions the system has to make.

“We are looking at every single opportunity for us to be a little bit more fiscally responsible,” Lewis said.

What You Need To Know

  • Durham Public Schools has a $7 million budget deficit

  • The end of COVID-19 relief funds has put financial strain on school districts

  • DPS is working to make up the budget shortfall

  • Other counties in N.C. are also experiencing budget struggles

With COVID relief funds ending, such as federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief grants, many school districts are under financial strain.

“The district made the choice to hire a lot of necessary staff to meet the needs of children during the pandemic,” DPS Chief Financial Officer Jeremy Teetor said. “And we are at a point now where we just simply cannot sustain that level of staffing and the number of positions that the district has on its rosters.”

Lewis said while the district’s financial team is working toward fixing this deficit, the system is also working on transparency and accountability with families and staff.

“This is our step forward in terms of rebuilding trust with this community as well as rebuilding trust with our staff," Lewis said.

DPS recently discovered a $34 million budget deficit due to undocumented expenses. There were 314 positions unaccounted for, under-budgeted charter school payments, a shortfall in child nutrition food sourcing, incorrect estimates of teachers who require master pay and rising costs for utilities and waste management.

The finance team has worked through that budget and decreased that shortfall by 80%. At the beginning of the school year, DPS withheld 15% of its budget as a safety net. That $26 million, along with some additional state funding, has brought the budget deficit down to $6.9 million.

Additionally, Teetor said, the finance team will continue to monitor lapsed salaries and benefits from vacant positions, review each vacancy to see if it is a necessary expense, explore central office restructuring and complete an audit with an accurate fund balance figure.

This issue doesn’t stop in Durham County. School districts across the state are cutting programs that were supposed to be temporary during the pandemic.

“It used to almost be unheard of, right? This was just not a headline in the past. The school systems weren’t wrestling with budget deficits per se,” Teetor said. “But it certainly has become more common definitely in the past two or three years.”

Lewis wants this to affect families as little as possible.

“Our commitment to student success, our commitment to academic achievement, our commitment to being transparent, our commitment to invest in our staff is unwavering,” Lewis said. “And we will continue to do that.”

DPS is launching a new series on budget development called, “Dollars and Decisions: Understanding and Navigating the Durham Public School’s Budget.” Teetor will be interviewed by students, and DPS will host activities and events to help educate families and staff in the district. DPS is asking the community for their input and inviting them to be a part of the decision-making process.