The Denver teachers union is voting on a renegotiated contract that would pay 1.65 percent less this year, saving Denver Public Schools about $5 million.
If approved by the Denver Classroom Teachers Association’s 3,000 teachers, educators would still get a 2.5 percent permanent cost-of-living pay increase this year.
Teachers began voting Tuesday, and ballots are expected to be returned by Friday.
Tuesday, the district and union jointly outlined the terms and reasons for reopening the three-year contract that was inked last year.
The original agreement gave teachers a cost-of-living raise that was the rate of inflation in the metro area plus 0.25 percent. This year, that amounted to a 4.15 percent cost-of-living hike.
Since that agreement, the economic situation has drastically declined.
The state has forced districts to hold 1.93 percent of state funding in reserve until January, when the legislature will decide what to do with it.
That would amount to $10.5 million less for the Denver district if the legislature rescinds the money. Jeremy P. Meyer, The Denver Post
