Durham’s kids need us now

 

Let’s rally together for the upcoming school year 

DPS students walking down the hallway of a school

Photo Credit/DPS

On July 21, the doors to our year-round schools will open once again to welcome students back. Typically, this would be a joyous occasion full of promise for the year ahead.

But we at the DPS Foundation recognize that this school year will be far from easy.

We come into the new school year with two top-of-mind challenges: the pause on federal funding to public schools and the recent passing of the big federal budget and tax bill. All the while, the efforts to dismantle the Department of Education continue (here’s where we dive into that topic).

What’s happening now?

  • Vital federal funds to our nation’s public schools have been paused since June 30. They were expected to be distributed on July 1.

    Without these funds, our Durham schools stand to lose the ability to:

    • Hire and retain great teachers and school leaders

    • Help students learning English succeed in the classroom

    • Support migrant students who often move mid-year and need extra help adjusting

    • Provide counseling, mental health support, and enrichment programs

    • Keep kids safe, learning, and fed after school

    Durham County public schools are expected to lose roughly $3,152,004, according to NC Department of Public Instruction (DPI). These cuts are going to impact all of our students but particularly those from low-income backgrounds, with disabilities, and from immigrant families. 

    We’re not alone in understanding this reality, and we applaud North Carolina for pushing back. On Monday, NC Attorney General Jeff Jackson joined other states in filing a lawsuit against the federal government to combat this pause and its anticipated fallout.

  • The federal administration passed its big budget and tax bill on July 4. This bill stands to cause great harm to our public school communities both directly and indirectly. 

    First, this bill paves the way for states to opt into the first national school voucher plan. North Carolina already uses taxpayer dollars to fund the tuition of 59% of private school students. Should our state opt into this plan, our public schools will be further drained of vital funds and resources. It would lead to a crisis in our fight for equitable and fair access to education. 

    Then we have the core tenets of the bill: divisive cuts to Medicaid, drastic interferences with Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and a terrifying amplification of immigration enforcement. 

    Here’s how we anticipate these tenets impacting our public schools:

    • As the fourth-largest source of federal funding to schools, Medicaid provides necessary relief to public school systems and the homes of students, educators, and staff. 

    • For some students, SNAP fills the gap in food access that isn’t fully satisfied by DPS’s free school breakfast and lunch—an already hard-won victory by our DPS parents, faith community, and system leaders. If these students lose their access to SNAP, the Durham community will have to come together to find a way to ensure these students won’t go hungry. 

    • We anticipate that the increased ICE funding will make our kids feel less safe to come to school. We urge you to call your local lawmakers and representatives to speak out against this issue. 

Our students living at multiple intersections of identity and circumstance have the most to lose because of these actions. 

We won’t see the full effect of them at once. That’s intentional. That also means we must prepare. Now is the time for the Durham community to rally together and build a sustainable ecosystem that centers our public school students.

This will take sustained energy and attention to do so. But if anyone has the endurance to do it, it’s the Durham community.

So, what do we do now?

Durham, we are at a critical time where we must center our public school students. For ages, the Maasai people of Africa have asked, “And how are the children?” We must make this our mantra and method going forward. 

When we recognized our students were going to school hungry, you, our parents and faith leaders, helped us win free school breakfast and lunch for all DPS students. 

Remember the uncertainty and anxiety caused by the COVID-19 pandemic? Feelings that were then further flamed by the mishandling and lack of federal response under the same president? 

What did we do then? We acted. 

You rallied around us to ensure every student had food while schools were closed. We galvanized businesses to focus in and partner with us to accelerate digital equity across the school district. The Foundation collaborated across institutions to start the WHOLE Schools movement to protect student and teacher mental health and wellbeing.

Our movement to ensure every Durham public school student thrives continues. Today we actively: 

No matter what happens, we refuse to fall.

Right now, we, like so many nonprofits, are facing our financial strains and challenges. But we will continue to stand in the gap for each Durham public school student.

Whether you are a concerned community member, a business owner, or a community leader, we invite you to donate your time, treasures, and talents. Every time you show up, you make a difference to our public schools. 

Let’s be the community I know we can be. The one who doesn’t back down but the one who stands up for everyone. Because it will take all of us to make Durham and our public schools a better place to be.

In solidarity, 

Brianna Kennedy

Interim Executive Director, DPS Foundation

Stephanie TurnerComment