Voices for Love in Action Focus for August:
Love for our Public Schools
There are many Durham Public Schools who depend on and need community support in order to ensure that their students, families and teachers are receiving an equitable education. The needs of schools across Durham County vary depending on several factors, mainly based on the zip code where the school is located. Durham is a county where socioeconomic lines are clearly drawn between neighborhoods and geographic locations throughout the county.
Some facts about Durham Public Schools
Racial composition from DPS schools (2024-25) compared to Durham as a whole:
- African-American: 36% (34% in Durham)
- Hispanic/Latino: 35% (16% in Durham)
- White: 20% (44% in Durham)
- American Indian, Asian, Hawaiian-Pacific, Multi-racial: 8% (10% in Durham)
Free Reduced Lunch
- 56% total enrollment qualify (this varies from school to school. Location matters.)
DPS Enrollment (2024-25)
- Pre-Kindergarten: 623
- K-5: 13,859
- 6-8: 6,446
- 9-12: 10,806
There are 2,400 teachers in DPS
Budget: $708,060,123 (Total for 2024-25)
Funding sources:
State (34%), Local (29%) Federal (6%)
Capital Outlay (23%) Grants (3%)
Child Nutrition (2%) Donations (1%)
What WSBC members can do to make a difference:
For the past 4 years, WSBC has prioritized supporting Glenn Elementary School located in East Durham on E. Geer Street. They do not have a PTA and most families are not able to provide monetary or material support for the school or teachers. There are several ways to support Glenn; however, you may also want to reach out to your local Durham public school to see what their needs are.
Glenn Elementary School Needs: You can serve as a point person or volunteer for one of the following Glenn support teams: Book Fair Volunteers (Jan – March), Snack Closet (Oct – May), Teacher Appreciation snacks or other gifts (May), Food Pantry (in collaboration with Faith Baptist Church) (Oct – April)
Immediate need! We need help between 8/29-9/10 with unpacking boxes in classrooms when construction is completed at the school. Aug. 25 is the first day of school; however, many classrooms will not be ready to move into until later. If interested, contact januzzip@gmail.com.
Financial support: You can make monetary donations to support the Glenn Book Fair (Oct-Dec). $4,000 worth of books will be purchased from Regulator Bookshop. Checks may be made out to Glenn Elementary School.
In addition, a Temporary Restricted Account for DPS Education Partners is being set up at WSBC. Donations may be designated for Glenn Discretionary Family Support Fund for Glenn Elementary School. This fund will be used solely to meet the needs of families who need housing, food or emergency transportation for school or appointments. Requests from families will be approved by the GDF Advisory Team before accessing funds from this account. Our goal is to raise $10,000 (housing needs, food insecurity, emergency transportation).