The Denver public schools face many challenges, but we’re relieved to see that labor strife no longer is one of them.
The teachers union and DPS administrators reached a tentative contract settlement late Wednesday night that raises teachers’ income while also giving them more involvement in instructional policy and education reform efforts.
The deal averts a threatened walkout, which could have idled 72,000 students before the end of the school year.
We salute both sides for reaching agreement without resorting to histrionics or work stoppages. The agreement allows both sides to proceed with the district’s all-important job of classroom education, and the deal also gives the teachers the workplace recognition they have earned.
“We have enhanced the overall compensation and fairness of the salary schedule and given teachers a real voice in improving teaching and learning in Denver classrooms,’ said Becky Wissink, president of the Denver Classroom Teachers Association. Under the deal, which still needs to be approved by the DCTA’s full membership and the DPS board, teachers regain a “step’ increase in their salary schedule that was lost in recent budget cuts.
Teacher pay is now largely determined by length of service and a teacher’s education level. Teachers get step increases in each of their first 13 years. Overall improvements to the salary schedule will generate annual teacher salary increases from $250 to $4,000. Many teachers will leap two steps, and some will see increases of 8 to 10 percent. The new agreement adds $11.7 million to total teacher compensation.
DPS was able to sweeten the deal with $3 million in funding that’s winding its way through the legislature, thanks to a change in the state School Finance Act. DPS also pledged $180,000 in administrative cuts to help seal the deal with teachers, many of whom believe DPS is top-heavy.
This fall, Denver voters will be asked for a $25 million mill-levy override to pay for a new compensation plan for teachers called ProComp. If approved, it will reward teachers for student achievement, and pay more to those who work in challenging schools. It lifts the caps that cause longtime teachers to max out their salaries, and also allows young go-getters to earn more money without having to wait decades.
It also boosts pay for substitute teachers from $81.20 per day to $85. This district has had trouble this year finding enough good substitutes, and the minimal raise won’t likely change that.
But the contract does meet the most pressing need, and that’s keeping our teachers in the classroom and off the picket line.
