A tentative labor agreement between Denver Public Schools teachers and the district would be a good end to an unseemly fight over how merit-pay money is divvied up.
We hope both sides approve the deal.
The proposed three-year agreement is more than fair to teachers, offering them an average 15 percent raise, yet it was crafted with the good of the city’s children in mind.
The fact that it took three months to get past a breakdown in negotiations reflects the controversy over linking teacher pay to performance rather than longevity.
Denver Classroom Teachers Association leadership wisely chose not to pursue a job action, perhaps even a strike, in the union’s dispute with the administration over apportioning merit-pay money that taxpayers generously approved.
There was some thought the teachers union would attempt to use this week’s Democratic National Convention to gain leverage in the dispute.
As it turns out, the fact that Denver is the center of the political world this week is a fitting backdrop for the tentative resolution of the conflict over ProComp, a nationally recognized merit-pay plan.
Among the education reforms he favors, presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama has proposed raising teachers’ salaries through merit-based rewards.
Teachers unions would be wise, as Denver’s has been, to choose to be partners in reform instead of fighting it. Although the deal has ruffled some feathers, it is a good solution for Denver’s problems.
The agreement gives all teachers annual cost-of-living raises. It boosts both the number of incentives available and the amount they are worth. Importantly, it also means the average starting teaching salary would rise to more than $42,000.
The rub is that this deal has left some veteran teachers feeling they’ve drawn the short straw. That’s because annual increases for longevity would stop after 14 years.
All things being equal, we would argue there shouldn’t be any ProComp increases for sheer seat time. But the truth is, all things are not equal.
For years, newer teachers have not gotten raises that keep their salaries competitive with those in surrounding districts. As a result, DPS has lost many bright young educators.
The deal forged by the union and the administration takes a step toward righting that situation. We hope all involved will see the fairness and opportunity in the deal and vote to approve it.
