DENVER, Colo.—Denver teachers ended their three-day strike Feb. 14 after reaching a tentative contract
agreement that will give them raises averaging 11.7%. The three-year deal would also give cost-of-living increases in its second and third years and raise base pay to $45,800 a year, with a 20-step salary schedule leading up to a $100,000 top rate. “We are thankful that both sides were able to come together after 15 months of bargaining to ensure our educators have a transparent salary schedule with a professional base salary scale and less reliance on unpredictable bonuses,” Denver Classroom Teachers Association President Henry Roman said in a statement. While a key dispute was over the school district’s reliance on pay incentives rather than regular salary increases, the union agreed to raise the bonus for teaching in the city’s 30 highest-priority schools to $3,000. The district and the union will also study how effective the bonuses are at retaining teachers. The contract still needs to be ratified by DCTA members and approved by the city Board of Education. “This is for the next generation of teachers and those thinking of becoming teachers,” 72-year-old math teacher Kathleen Braun told the Denver Post. Read more
