Jeffco Public Schools and the local teachers union have tentatively reached an agreement on educator pay after spending Wednesday in mediation, potentially bringing an end to months of negotiations.
The two parties were at an impasse after they failed to come to an agreement on several issues, such as compensation and more planning time for teachers.
“(T)his was a long, challenging process, although it included lots of discussion about how our contract language and compensation impacts our classrooms and students,” Michelle Moehlis, a Spanish teacher and negotiation chair for the union, said in a statement. “The new salary schedule rewards educators who are loyal to Jeffco, and have stayed throughout district turmoil and pay freezes.”
The new agreement, if approved by the union’s membership, will set a new salary range of $50,000 to more than $100,000 for educators in the district. It also gives more planning time to elementary educators and provides “improvements to the contract that protect the workload of the staff that work with our most vulnerable students,” according to the Jefferson County Education Association.
The union estimated that the average increase in pay for educators is about 9%.
Members of the union are expected to vote on whether to accept the agreement between Aug. 10 and Aug. 16.
