Erika's Corner: November

This is Erika's monthly message from our e-newsletter. Sign-up to receive our monthly newsletter in your inbox here.

Over the past year, and especially the recent election season, our community has shown up for our public schools in many ways. As we process the election results, we are clear-eyed about the challenges ahead and we remain resolute in our mission to ensure all students have the resources they need to thrive. We must protect our public school students' well-being and educational access amid shifting federal and state policies.

At the federal level, we are monitoring potential actions that could impact our most vulnerable students, including immigrant families, LGBTQIA+ youth, and those relying on food security programs like universal free school meals. Locally, while we celebrate pro-public education victories in the election, we are preparing for challenges like yesterday’s legislative override of Governor Cooper’s veto of HB10—a bill that reallocates public funds to expand private school vouchers and mandates cooperation with ICE, further marginalizing our immigrant families.

Despite these challenges, we are fired up! We know the solutions to DPS challenges live in the community. Take a moment to check out this video of grantees thanking DPSF for this year's grants. Schools are already putting these funds to great use—just last week, Brogden Middle School presented to the Board of Education findings from a tool we funded, addressing absenteeism trends. The insights from this work are already sparking conversations about how to leverage this tool and similar approaches to address absenteeism across other schools. 

Thank you for considering how much you can give now to support our local public schools. To deepen our collective impact, I also encourage you to join us on one of our DPSF volunteer days. Just recently, I participated in one myself, reconnecting with what drives our work at its core: community and impact. Learn more and sign up here.

We all have a part to play in this work, but a special thank you to our supporters for helping us convene stakeholders, fund innovative community-led solutions, and ensure Durham Public Schools continues to be a pillar of equity and opportunity. Thank you for fighting alongside us for strong local public schools and brighter futures for all students.

If you’d like to discuss our plans to protect and support DPS students and educators further, I’m always happy to connect (erika@bullcityschools.org)

With gratitude,

Erika