DENVER — Denver instructors are preparation to strike Monday for the very first time in 25 years after stopped working negotiations with the school district over base pay.
The teachers union and Denver Public Schools satisfied Saturday in an effort to reach a new contract after more than a year of settlements, but both sides left dissatisfied.
The Denver Class Educators Association released a declaration after the meeting stating the district’s proposition lacks openness and ‘‘pushes for failed incentives for some over meaningful base salary for all.’’
‘‘We will strike Monday for our trainees and for our occupation, and perhaps then DPS will get the message and return to the bargaining table with a major proposition aimed at solving the teacher turnover crisis in Denver,’’ stated Henry Roman, president of the teachers union.
Meanwhile, Schools Superintendent Susana Cordova stated she was ‘‘extremely dissatisfied’’ that the union walked away from the table rather of continuing to work towards an agreement.
‘‘We provided an upgraded proposal that responds to what we heard from our instructors, aligns to our worths of equity and retention, . . . and substantially increases the base pay for all of our teachers,’’ Cordova stated.
Teachers plan to picket around the city beginning Monday as the district attempts to keep schools open by staffing them with administrators and replacements. The district has canceled classes for about 5,000 young children because it doesn’t have the staff to take care of them.
The 2 sides disagree about pay increases and benefits for teachers in high-poverty schools and other schools that the district considers a top priority. Teachers want lower perks to totally free up loan for better total incomes, while administrators say the perks are necessary to boost the academic performance of poor and minority trainees.
Bonuses paid to teachers with more than 14 years of experience do not ended up being part of their base pay, which critics say encourages high turnover and harms students. Both sides have agreed to get rid of that arrangement but disagree about how huge the perks need to be for instructors working in high-poverty schools and in schools considered a high top priority by the district.
Governor Jared Polis decided Wednesday versus intervening to stop the strike however stated he might action in if it drags on. It’s expected to expense about $400,000 a day to keep schools operating with substitutes and administrators.
The teachers’ union states 93 percent of its members backed a strike in a vote last month.