DURHAM, N.C. (WNCN) — Durham Public Schools is facing a nearly $7 million budget deficit. Superintendent Dr. Anthony Lewis discussed the challenges Friday ahead of a meeting with the school board next week, saying he wants to be transparent with the community about the issues. "Right now, our most pressing challenge is ensuring the financial stability of this school system," Dr. Lewis said. Chief Financial Officer Jeremy Teetor said the challenges include not correctly budgeting for charter school payments, child nutrition program shortfalls, and having more staff than in the recommended budget. Of those 315 more positions, he wrote in board documents that 247 are vacant. The district would face a greater deficit if those positions were filled. Teetor said the deficit would also be worse if it weren't for former Interim Superintendent Catty Moore recommending the district set aside 15% of its operating budget so the new administration could get a handle on things. Page High School hosts celebration of life for beloved teacher "That ultimately was a huge saving grace for the district, and so that action alone had a value of $26.4 million," Teetor said. The Durham Association of Educators sees it differently, saying the unused money and vacant postings are essentially cuts on which the community did not have input. "Now, the district is looking for a further $7 million in cuts, potentially through layoffs and taking away positions, in order to balance their books. Make no mistake, this district administration is effectively proposing a $33.4 million cut to key staff and resources that our students need," a statement from DAE said in part. Dr. Lewis said his goal is to find the money without impacting students and staff. "So, we don't anticipate there will be major cuts or hard asks for that for the board," Teetor said. "It will just be an opportunity for us to kind of tighten the belt." Teetor discussed how the district ended up in the deficit. "I would not point anything at any particular decisions that someone made, but it was just the reality that the district did not have a permanent finance officer to lead those decisions, and be at the table, and start forecasting things that needed to be happening to come off of that historic federal investment from ESSER dollars," Teetor said. Former CFO Paul LeSieur was suspended and then resigned last January amidst a district-wide salary debacle. Teetor said employee raises approved at the end of last year did not contribute to the deficit. Dr. Lewis pointed to Friday's news conference as a way for DPS to show it's being transparent and open about its budget. Triad second graders design their own winter hats DAE, which has been pushing to have more input in district decision-making through a Meet and Confer policy, said there's still work to be done regarding transparency. "The issues in DPS will not get better until the district commits to more transparency, accountability, and collaboration, and stops union busting by passing a real Meet and Confer policy to meaningfully engage their staff. Once again, mismanagement and a lack of transparency have led to egregious mistakes from downtown — and students and frontline staff have to pay the price," the statement said. Dr. Lewis said the district is launching a series called Dollars and Decisions to help the community learn more about the DPS budget process. The district will discuss the budget more with the board at its Tuesday meeting.