Denver’s teachers union will allow two schools to break from key parts of the contract, ending weeks of haggling and allowing the schools some autonomy.
Bruce Randolph Middle School and Manual High School in northeast Denver sought control over pay, length of the school day and year, and hiring procedures in an effort to improve student achievement.
The Denver school board already had voted for the necessary waivers from district rules for Bruce Ran dolph, and plans to vote on Manual later this month. But the union had not agreed to free the schools from many parts of the contract.
After weeks of negotiations — during which the union got the schools to specify exactly what parts of the contract they felt hindered student achievement — the union’s executive board voted Monday on a compromise.
“This is something that we have been working for for 15 weeks now,” said Greg Ahrnsbrak, a physical-education teacher and union representative at Bruce Randolph. “We feel this allows us and gives us the freedom to move forward.”
The debate over whether the two schools should be allowed to get waivers from both the union and Denver Public Schools drew attention from national education experts interested in how Denver is trying to reform its schools.
Debate was also sparked about unions and schools. State Sen. President Peter Groff, D-Denver, introduced a bill allowing all Colorado schools an easier path to waivers.
Bruce Randolph principal Kristin Waters took advantage of the agreement on Tuesday when a math teacher asked to take on six classes instead of the mandated five.
“In the past I would say, ‘No, I can’t pay you,’ ” she said. “Now I can pay that teacher to work that extra class. It’s going to benefit the teacher and the students.”
Manual’s effort was more private than Bruce Ran dolph’s, but principal Rob Stein intends to immediately start hiring for next year when the school, which now has only freshmen, adds sophomores.
“We know we need 10 teachers,” he said. “The current procedure would allow us to start hiring in April. We want to get going on that now.”
Both Manual and Bruce Randolph will be able to pilot the “rolling posting process,” which allows the schools to post and hire immediately when the positions open. In the past, schools had to adhere to a hiring cycle that lasted through the spring.
Denver Classroom Teachers Association president Kim Ursetta said Monday’s resolution shows what can happen when opposing sides work together.
“By having everyone sit in the same room together is how we were able to come to an agreement,” she said.
At least one critic said the union’s agreement was a little late to save face.
“After 10 weeks, it seems like the DCTA finally stopped hitting itself in the head with a hammer,” said Alan Gottlieb, vice president of the Public Education & Business Coalition. “They deserve praise for altering their stance and doing the right thing.”
Jeremy P. Meyer: 303-954-1367 or jpmeyer@denverpost.com
