• DPS Faces Budget Gap
  • Chinese Lantern Festival
  • ICYMI: Citizen Detained by CBP
  • Plans for Northgate Mall Site
  • Precinct Officials Needed
Credit: Illustration by Nicole Pajor Moore

Good morning, readers.

An enrollment drop in Durham Public Schools (DPS) will cost the district $4.7 million this year as well as state funding for 33 teacher positions next year.

That’s because about 1,000 fewer students enrolled in DPS this year than expected. The district planned as if it would receive state and local funding for 31,223 students. But because about 1,000 fewer enrolled, DPS now has to adjust its budget to match.

The district doesn’t know exactly where all those students went, but charter school enrollment in Durham County jumped by about 650 students this year—which means the district now owes $4.7 million of local taxpayer dollars to those charter schools.

And Durham isn’t the only district with this enrollment problem: Per DPS’s superintendent, 112 of North Carolina’s 115 public school districts saw an overall drop in enrollment this year.

For more on those charter school payments, those 33 teacher positions, and how DPS is planning to cut some costs, check out my latest story below and have a good Monday.

—Chase

Read the Full Story on INDYWeek.com

The INDY is free to everyone who wants to read it in Durham, Raleigh, and the rest of the Triangle — because we at the INDY believe a well-informed community is vital to building a better society, and news should be accessible to all, not just those who can afford it.

To keep it free, we’re asking you to become a member of our Press Club and make a contribution to keeping our doors open and our keyboards clacking.

Join the 1,400+ Triangle residents who want to keep the INDY around for 40 more years.

Become a Member

The latest from INDY, plus other stories around the state you’ll want to read. Handpicked every day by INDY Editor-in-Chief Sarah Willets.

Light It Up

I went to the Chinese Lantern Festival for the first time this weekend and reading Jasmine Gallup’s write-up for the INDY added so much to the experience.

Credit: Fernando Vazquez

‘Basically Just Kidnapped Me’

NC Newsline speaks to a citizen who was detained by Border Patrol in Cary and left in a parking lot.

Credit: Regency Centers via City of Durham

Read Mall About It

Justin Laidlaw reports on the latest site plans for Northgate Mall and what they mean for the future of the property and the community’s say in it.

If you’d like to advertise your business to The Daily’s 20,000-plus subscribers, please contact [email protected].

LOCAL: WUNC has a helpful list of ways to donate food to immigrant families who are staying home after last week’s Border Patrol activity.

STATE: Rental company Greystar will pay $7 million for fixing apartment prices, NC Newsline reports. We previously reported on local Greystar properties included in the lawsuit.

STATE: A new report suggests that North Carolina Office of Recovery and Resiliency’s disaster response following Hurricanes Matthew and Florence was itself a disaster, Inside Climate News reports.

Love The INDY? Join the INDY Press Club.
Support the ambitions of local journalism (plus, enjoy a few perks).

Become a Member
  • Looking to buy a bus? The city of Durham has more than 140 vehicles coming up for auction soon.
  • Chapel Hill has been named “a great place for public art” by the American Planning Association.
  • Durham County is looking for precinct officials for the 2026 elections.
  • Want to see your message here? Contact [email protected] to learn how you can reach The Daily’s 20,000-plus subscribers.
Follow INDY Week on Social Media