Durham schools interim superintendent vows to be 'a bridge' in midst of salary dispute
Durham Public Schools interim superintendent Catty Moore said she hopes to serve as a bridge to help guide the district through a weeks-long dispute between classified staff and leadership.
Posted — Updated"I'm retired," Moore told WRAL on Friday. "I'm a bridge. I'm an interim. I am there really to make sure I'm implementing the priorities of the board and working with the staff, both at central office and in schools, and the stakeholders in the community as they prepare for the new superintendent."
School board members met Thursday night and appointed Moore – the former superintendent for the Wake County Public School System – to serve as interim superintendent. The moves follows former superintendent Pascal Mubenga's resignation on Wednesday.
The weeks-long battle over salary for some staff members has been a contentious topic for the district. Moore acknowledges she's joining DPS at a critical juncture.
"I've seen some of the presentations, but obviously need to engage with staff and the board to figure out where those are," Moore said. "I would not say that I'm in a place where I have any strong feelings about supporting one or the other and what they may or may not do at this point."
Moore expressed support for more pay for educators, classified and essential staff in Durham and throughout North Carolina.
"I think that when we think about really the root cause of what we're looking at here - staff in our schools in the state of North Carolina need to be better compensated, top to bottom," she said.
At Thursday night's meeting, the school board considered four options.
- Option 1 gives no credit for out of state or private practice experience. It keeps the salary study, which gives all employees at least a 4% raise.
- Option 2 gives credit for all outside experience, restoring the salary steps. It eliminates the salary study and gives all employees an 11% raise.
- Option 3 also restores all salary steps. It eliminates the study and gives a 15% raise.
- Option 4 is the same as Option 3, with the addition that February paychecks will be at the higher October rate.
The board could not reach an agreement.
The board has also agreed to a meeting with the Durham Association of Educators for next Thursday. There's no word yet on any more protests or sick outs next week.
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