Talks between Denver Public Schools administrators and teachers union leaders start today, with both sides expressing hope for a contract despite being $13 million apart when union leaders declared an impasse in May.
The Denver Classroom Teachers Association and DPS are trying to hammer out a salary and benefits package for 4,000 teachers.
Though Superintendent Michael Bennet and union president Kim Ursetta have talked informally throughout the summer, there have been no recent negotiations, Ursetta said.
On the table is a 2.1 percent cost-of-living increase, plus regular steps teachers get when they are not at the top of the scale.
All teachers also receive an insurance allowance.
District negotiators contend that, if teachers accepted the current offer, the average salary increase was 14.2 percent over the past three years.
The district’s increase in revenue, which is guaranteed by Amendment 23, has been only 8.8 percent in that same time.
But teachers are unhappy that the allowance does not cover the 15 percent to 20 percent increase in health-insurance costs that has hit them over the past several years.
Many say they are taking home less money than they did a few years ago.
“I feel like teachers have experienced cuts in their pay because health insurance keeps going up,” said South High School math teacher Barbara Bennett. “It’s very demoralizing,”
Bennet agrees that the cost of health insurance is a problem for Americans, but “we can’t solve our health care crisis at the bargaining table.”
He said he was hopeful the two sides would reach a resolution.
“We all have a tremendous amount of work to do,” he said.
Union officials hope to bring “non-economic” issues to district leaders as well during the two scheduled days of talks this week. Teachers want more time to analyze student data, produced by increased assessment testing. Also, they would like a role in principal evaluations, Ursetta said.
Bennet said he looked “forward to discussing everything.”
The talks are scheduled with a mediator today and Tuesday, though they could continue if more time is needed, Ursetta said.
DPS has faced several years of budget shortfalls, due mostly to declining enrollment in traditional schools and increased pension costs.
In 2005, city voters approved a $25 million annual tax increase to pay for ProComp, a pay-for- performance plan for teachers.
The union still negotiates the base salary.
ProComp acts as almost a bonus system, giving teachers more money for the types of classes and schools they teach in, as well as for boosting scores on student tests.
Staff writer Allison Sherry can be reached at 303-954-1377 or asherry@denverpost.com.
Para leer este artículo en español, vaya a denverpost.com/aldia
