Financial Services
The scope of the Financial Services department’s responsibilities is vast and critical to the success of our school district. Not only is Financial Services responsible for developing and overseeing the district’s $217 million budget (FY 2024-25), but it is also charged with ensuring that all of the district’s accounting practices meet North Carolina state statutes and national accounting standards.
Specifically, the Financial Services department’s responsibilities include:
Overseeing all purchasing, including issuing checks and depositing and investing all funds received;
Managing payroll for more than 5,000 employees;
Preparing and delivering multiple financial reports as required by the DPS Board of Education and other local, state and federal government entities;
Advising DPS administrators and Board of Education in making decisions around the district’s finances;
Purchasing all DPS goods and services in accordance with state and federal statutes and guidelines; and,
Performing internal audits routinely to ensure legal and ethical financial practices.
Budget Documents & Information
Dollars & Decisions Budget Series
Durham Public Schools believes it is our responsibility not only to inform our community about how our budget works, but also to invite you to participate in crucial decisions around how the money is spent.
To do this, DPS brings you “Dollars and Decisions,” an invitation to our community to participate in the budget development process for the 2025-26 school year. Dollars and Decisions aims to explain – in simple, easy-to-understand language – just where our funding comes from, where it goes, how it serves our students and community, and how you can be part of it all. Explore the series below.
Understanding and Navigating the DPS Budget (Part 1)
