Denver teachers overwhelmingly ratified a pay deal Monday that gives them a 2.7 percent salary increase and a chance to create new schools with the administration.
“The teachers are excited,” said Kim Ursetta of the Denver Classroom Teachers Association. “We have a lot of exciting things happening, and I look forward to getting started on those.”
About 79 percent of union teachers approved the deal. There are roughly 4,000 teachers in the city, and about 3,000 belong to the association, but union officials wouldn’t say how many of those turned in ballots Monday.
The tentative deal spells out details of “blue ribbon schools,” which are plans that teachers and administrators can come up with together for poor-performing schools or under-enrolled buildings.
For many teachers, this is a more desirable route for reform than school “redesign,” a more top-down approach that means all teachers in a school have to reapply for their jobs.
“We’ve already started working to be a blue-ribbon school,” said Ann Franco, a Del Pueblo Elementary teacher.
The starting salary for teachers is $33,301 a year before the deal struck Monday. The top pay for a teacher with more than 15 years of experience and a doctorate is $67,595, but some teachers could make a little more than that annually under “ProComp,” the district’s pay-for-performance plan.
Before the contract is final, school board members must approve it. That vote could take place before the end of the week, administrators said.
“It is a great deal for the district and the teachers,” Superintendent Michael Bennet said after the vote. “It was a financial arrangement the district can afford, and it reflected our need to remain competitive in the marketplace. The union’s desire to be a full partner in that is very encouraging.”
The tentative accord also adds a $1,275 14th “step” – another pay grade to the top of the scale – if enrollment increases this school year by 1,000 students. District officials won’t know the official student count until October.
Staff writer Allison Sherry can be reached at 303-954.1377 or asherry@denverpost.com.
