Triangle Tribune

Shaw Names Grant Women's Flag Football Coach - Shaw University RALEIGH, N.C. — Shaw University Athletics announced Thursday the hiring of Bacchus Grant as the first head coach in program history for the university's newly established women's flag football program.

Durham Association of Educators (DAE), the labor union for Durham Public School workers, hosted its first public living wage town hall at NorthStar Church of the Arts.

There, classified staff took turns sharing their experiences serving Durham public school students while also trying to keep up with the increasing cost of living. Classified staff includes instructional assistants, custodians, cafeteria workers and bus drivers.

“A 12% wage doesn’t even bring us up to where we need to be,” Parkstone said. While DPS bus drivers’ wages range between $19.43 and a maximum of $28 per hour after 30 years of service, GoTriangle offers a starting wage of $22.68 plus bonuses. A DPS custodian can earn a maximum $20.95 per hour after 30 years, compared to a city or county custodian’s hourly starting wage of $21.90. “The county is already paying their workers more than what we’re making, which makes our jobs less desirable,” Parkstone said.

Durham County Manager Claudia Hager proposed a county budget May 11, most notably an additional $10.9 million for DPS, “which covers continuation costs that have risen with inflation,” according to DAE President and DPS high school science teacher Mika Tweitmeyer. The budget proposal didn’t include that $14.8 million requested by DAE from meetings with the union and county staff, which would include the 12% wage increase for classified staff. That requested raise would increase the wage to $19.22 per hour.

Continue reading here: https://www.triangletribune.com/news/2026/05/20/local/dae-demands-wage-increase-for-classified-staff/