PA is a member of Stand Up Durham. We are urging everyone to call or email a member of the school board prior to their vote on the budget this Thursday, May 12th.  The budget proposed by Superintendent Becoats would cut 117 positions from DPS. Join PA and the Stand Up Durham coalition at the school board meeting this Thursday at 6 PM at 511 Cleveland St. (Meeting starts at 6:30).

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Good evening fellow supporter of public education. You are getting this email because we need you to act. As we’re sure you know already, stakes are high for public schools in North Carolina. The state government is proposing drastic cuts to our schools, and many are worried that we’ll never be able to recover. We cannot continue to stand by and let our children’s futures be jeopardized. We cannot continue to stand by and let our dedicated school workers take the hit for policies that take money from the things we need and give it to the wealthy.

 

Stand Up Durham is asking you to take action now. In order to get what our schools need, we need to tell the state, the county, and the Durham school board what we want. We told the state loudly at last week’s One Voice Rally in Raleigh, and we will continue to let them know what we need. But we also must ask our local leaders to Stand Up, Be Brave, and support public education.

 

The Durham school board meets Thursday at 6:30 at 511 Cleveland St. to vote on a budget proposal laid out by Superintendent Eric Becoats. This budget would cut 117 positions from DPS, and we cannot afford a single cut to our people or our programs. We appreciate that the school board is planning to ask the county to raise property taxes in order to avoid bigger cuts, but we need them to Stand Up, Be Brave, and ask the county to fund a budget with NO CUTS TO POSITIONS AND NO CUTS TO PROGRAMS.

 

We are asking you to immediately send an email or make a phone call to a member of the school board listed below. Tell them why public schools are important to you. Tell them your story. They want to hear from you. In addition to your story, we are asking that you ask them to:

 

1. Stand up and be brave

2. Pass a budget that calls for no cuts to positions or programs

3. Ask the county to help fund it

4. Let them know that you are planning to contact and speak with county commissioners and state representatives. If they act with BRAVERY, we’ll have their backs.

After you send the email, mark your calendar and join us on Thursday, May 12 at 6:00 at 511 Cleveland St. in downtown Durham for the DPS school board vote on next year’s budget. Please contact Stand up Durham at [email protected] or 919.210.9256 if you have any questions.

 

School Board Contacts

Minnie Forte-Brown (919) 530-7106 [email protected]

Heidi Carter (919) 490-0513 [email protected]

Natalie Beyer (919) 382-2823 [email protected]

Leigh Bordley (919) 536-4230 [email protected]

Nancy Cox (919) 419-6369 [email protected]

Frederick Davis (919) 544-4999 [email protected]

Omega Curtis Parker (919) 544-3455 [email protected]

 

Stand Up Durham is a coalition made up of the Committee for Democratic Education, Durham Allies for a Responsive Education, Durham People’s Alliance, The Dream Act Fellowship at Southern High School, and parents, students, school workers and community members.