News Release
April 21, 2005
2005-2006 Teacher Contract Settlement Details Announced
Representatives from the Denver Classroom Teachers Association and Denver Public Schools today announced details of a tentative agreement for the 2005-2006 school year. The tentative agreement was reached late last night following four days of negotiations managed by mediator Judy Mares-Dixon.
The proposed settlement must still be ratified by membership of the DCTA and formally approved by the Denver Board of Education. DCTA president Becky Wissink said membership voting would be completed within the next two weeks. A Board of Education vote is not yet scheduled. Specific contract language will be shared with DCTA membership and the Board of Education prior to ratification.
"This agreement makes significant progress in areas Denver teachers identified as critical to school improvement efforts," said Becky Wissink, president of the DCTA. "We have enhanced the overall compensation and fairness of the salary schedule and given teachers a real voice in improving teaching and learning in Denver classrooms."
The tentative, three-year agreement includes:
- A new article that addresses teacher involvement in student achievement, instruction and education reform at the district, area and school site levels.
- Professional discretion over teacher time.
- Enhancements to the salary schedule include the return of a salary schedule step that was frozen in 2002-2003. That step that was identified earlier this year by the Joint Market Compensation Task Force, which was created during last year's teacher contract negotiations.
The improvements to the salary schedule - with the return of the additional step - yields a range of individual annual teacher pay increases from $250 to approximately $4,000.
In all, the agreement adds $11.7 million to total teacher compensation, which includes $3 million in additional funding anticipated through the state School Finance Act, which is pending in the state legislature.
"The proposed settlement sends a clear message that teachers are highly valued," said Bart Muller, Human Resources Director. "Teachers are the critical factor in our recent success with increased student achievement and they are being rewarded for their hard work and dedication. Denver Public Schools is committed to building a high-quality work force and we believe that teaching in the district will take on even more luster with the groundbreaking Professional Compensation System for teachers - ProComp - and its fresh approach to determining teacher salary increases. With ProComp, we also intend to provide more attractive salaries."
Muller said the district would identify additional reductions in administrative spending to finance the final teacher contract package.
The pay proposals include an increase in the pay rate for daily substitutes, from $81.20 currently to $85 next year. In addition, all retired teachers would be paid at a rate of $100 per day to fill substitute requests.
"We would really like to thank Judy Mares-Dixon for her efforts," added Muller. "She made the difference by keeping the parties working and focused on our goal of reaching a fair settlement, which this is."
For more information, contact the DPS Communications Office at 720-423-3414 or the Denver Classroom Teachers Association at 303-831-0590.