By Kylie Marsh
Kylie.marsh@triangletribune.com
DURHAM – Durham Public Schools’ classified staff are asking for a 12% wage increase in the county budget.
“Classified staff are struggling. They are working two or three jobs to make ends meet,” said Angel Parkstone, clinical nurse specialist representative for Durham Association of Educators.
DAE, the labor union for Durham Public School workers, hosted its first public living wage town hall last week at NorthStar Church of the Arts.
There, classified staff took turns sharing their experiences serving Durham public school students while also trying to keep up with the increasing cost of living. Classified staff includes instructional assistants, custodians, cafeteria workers and bus drivers.
Durham County Board of Commissioners Vice Chair Nida Allam and Commissioner Stephen Valentine attended on behalf of the board.
“A 12% wage doesn’t even bring us up to where we need to be,” Parkstone said. While DPS bus drivers’ wages range between $19.43 and a maximum of $28 per hour after 30 years of service, GoTriangle offers a starting wage of $22.68 plus bonuses. A DPS custodian can earn a maximum $20.95 per hour after 30 years, compared to a city or county custodian’s hourly starting wage of $21.90. “The county is already paying their workers more than what we’re making, which makes our jobs less desirable,” Parkstone said.
In Durham County, a living wage for an individual with no children is $24.35 an hour.
Asia Pope is DAE’s at-large representative for classified staff. Pope’s healthcare costs have tripled, from $30 to $90 per a prescription she needs monthly. “This creates a barrier,” she said.
Shashawn Anderson is a certified teacher for exceptional children. She said every moment of a classified staff’s day is “student-centered.”
“We are providing personal care. Feeding. Tube-feeding sometimes. Catheterizing students. So, almost like medicinal care as well,” she said.
Ryan Burch has been working for two years as an elementary school instructional assistant for exceptional children. “I’ve always understood that, especially in North Carolina, there’s always been an issue with paying teachers what they’re worth,” he said. “There is a dark humor that says you have to have a side hustle or two if you want to be a teacher in North Carolina. Now I’m seeing it’s even worse than I thought it would be.”
Lakeisha Register is an instructional assistant for pre-kindergarten exceptional children. Her responsibilities include feeding and diapering eight nonverbal students between the ages of 3-5 with varying levels of autism.
“I am getting hit, bit, scratched, so I’m always on the lookout trying not to get hurt,” she said. “I think you have no idea what actually goes on inside these classrooms. I’d love to see all of you come substitute in an EC class.”
She said a 12% raise would give her an extra $300 a month as a cushion. “It would give me more peace of mind to know I am not sitting at zero at the end of every month,” she said. “Thankfully, I have a husband who has a pretty good job, so I’m in a better spot than many of my co-workers.”
Crystal Graves is also an IA for EC students and president of the Cornwallis community, a Durham Housing Authority property. She is also the caregiver of her disabled sister.
“As both a community leader and resident, I see firsthand how hard it is for working families to transition out of public housing. We are told all the time that public housing should be a stepping stone,” she said. “But the reality is many Durham Public School employees still cannot afford to live within city limits.”
Other commissioners declined to attend due to previous engagements but also to avoid “inadvertently creating quorum.”
Durham County Manager Claudia Hager proposed a county budget May 11, most notably an additional $10.9 million for DPS, “which covers continuation costs that have risen with inflation,” according to DAE President and DPS high school science teacher Mika Tweitmeyer. The budget proposal didn’t include that $14.8 million requested by DAE from meetings with the union and county staff, which would include the 12% wage increase for classified staff. That requested raise would increase the wage to $19.22 per hour.
“The county manager’s proposal is insufficient because our workers can’t wait. You heard it here tonight,” Tweitmeyer said. “Workers are going to have no choice but to leave.”
