Denver’s school teachers will be getting a raise and an increased retirement package if a contract they approved is ratified by the school board.
The Denver Classroom Teacher’s Association voted to approve the tentative agreement Monday night.
Of 2,384 ballots cast, 1,767, or 74 percent, supported the deal.
The Denver School Board is expected to vote Thursday whether to ratify the agreement.
Fifty-one percent of union teachers had to approve for the agreement to pass. There are roughly 4,000 teachers in Denver Public Schools and 3,000 union members.
The contract gives teachers yearly raises that range from $250 to $4,000, depending on experience.
In addition to the pay increase, they will receive an increased contribution to their retirement package.
Teachers will get another 30 minutes of planning time a week and also will have greater input in the “art of teaching,” according to the three-year tentative contract.
That’s what sold Margaret Bobb.
Bobb, who teaches science at Horace Mann Middle School, said she’s happier with the teacher input more than the pay increase.
Her school voted to approve the contract, but “it wasn’t overwhelming,” she said.
There is still a frustration among teachers that DPS administrators didn’t take a big enough cut, Bobb said.
DPS faces an $11.6 million shortfall this year and administrators plan to cut a little more than $4 million from the central budget.
Teachers reached an accord with the district after it acquired $3 million extra from the state legislature after an adjustment to the School Finance Act.
