News Release
August 25, 2004
Tentative Agreement Reached With Denver Classroom Teachers Association
In a joint news conference today, bargaining team leaders for the Denver Public Schools and the Denver Classroom Teachers Association (DCTA) released details of the proposed contract for the 2004-2005 school year.
Before it can go into effect, the proposed contract first must be formally ratified by members of the DCTA and by the Denver Board of Education.
"We spent the last week in very close communication, listening to each other and learning about what was necessary to bring this to conclusion," said Andre Pettigrew, Assistant Superintendent for Administrative Services. "I am pleased that we were able to reach agreement. I believe that classroom teachers also will realize, given the overall budget picture, that the result is a fair deal."
DCTA president Becky Wissink added: "The bargaining teams for both sides worked hard to reach this tentative agreement, which will be presented to our member teachers this week with a recommendation to accept. Additional dollars provided by the district enabled us to find a way to meet our compensation and benefit needs. Our teachers told us that having an intact benefits package was a high priority, so we did some creative thinking and came up with an offer we feel good about taking to our members. We did this by using a small portion of the money initially allocated to cost of living to increase the benefits package and by agreeing to delay the benefits package implementation date."
Teacher ballots will be in schools by the end of the week and results of the teachers' vote are expected to be available by Tuesday, Sept. 7.
Under the terms of the proposed contract, teachers would receive a 1 percent cost of living adjustment; movement on the salary schedule (increases based on years of experience, educational credits and longevity); and an increase from $309 to $348 in the monthly benefits allowance. (A teacher receiving $348 per month would be able to afford mid-level health insurance coverage and basic dental and vision coverage under the district's benefits plan.) The contract changes would take effect Sept. 1, 2004.
The proposed contract also calls for a detailed market analysis to be conducted by a new Market Compensation Task Force. The task force will include four representatives each from DPS and the DCTA as well as three community members. The task force would oversee a study (to be funded by the DCTA and DPS and include an independent consultant) to analyze and make recommendations about the total compensation comparability for teachers in DPS with other districts and other employers.
The study will focus particularly on the relation of recent compensation decisions and their effect on the ability of the district to attract and retain teachers. In addition, the study will look at the relationship of the current salary schedule and the salary schedule envisioned for the new Professional Compensation system. Under "ProComp," as it is known, teachers would be rewarded for their professional accomplishments and their pay would be more closely linked to meeting the school district's instructional goals. ProComp is set to start with the 2006-2007 school year.
Under the proposed contract language, the Board of Education is committed to prioritizing the recommendations of the study in the development of the budget for the 2005-2006 school year.
The tentative agreement was made possible by:
- Lowering the daily rate paid for substitute teachers (from $121.45 per day to $81.54 per day - in line with metro Denver school districts) and transferring it to fulltime teachers.
- Using a Sept. 1, 2004 start date for the implementation of the changes to the contract.
- Tapping one-time sources of revenue.
For more information, contact the DPS Communications Office at 720-423-3414 or Denver Classroom Teachers Association at 303-831-0590.