Denver’s teachers and the school district announced they reached a tentative agreement that the two parties say “resolves all open issues,” in an ongoing labor dispute, according to a joint statement issued late Friday.
Details regarding the agreement were not disclosed. The agreement must be ratified by the school board and the union’s membership.
“On behalf of our respective organizations, we are pleased to have reached this settlement,” said Superintendent Michael Bennet and Denver Classroom Teachers Association president Kim Ursetta. “After many months of tough negotiations, we have committed to the first three-year negotiated agreement on terms and conditions of employment, including compensation, between the parties in nearly 20 years.
“This three-year deal will accomplish our mutual goal of rewarding and retaining our current teachers, attracting new teachers to DPS, and allowing all of us to focus our efforts over the next three years on the continuing progress in our schools and classrooms. We are both pleased with the outcome.”
The agreement comes after three days of mediation with a professional arbiter at a Denver hotel, which lasted well into the wee hours of the morning most days. Union leadership had told its members to be prepared to strike.
The two sides were trying to hammer out a contract for Denver’s 4,500 teachers, whose current contract expires Aug. 31. Denver teachers will convene at 3 p.m. Sunday at South High School to vote on accepting the agreement.
