The Office of Talent made significant strides in the 2024-2025 school year, supporting educators, students and the entire district community. The following achievements reflect our unwavering commitment to our students, staff, and community.
Teacher Staffing
We began the 2024-25 school year with 94% of teacher, Career Technical Education, and teacher leader positions filled. We also had 92% of our special education teachers staffed, an all-time high for this hard-to-fill position.
International Educators
Over 85 international educators joined us this year, adding global perspectives and enriching our classrooms with diverse experiences. We were also able to add Praxis support for all our international educators to promote acceleration in their DPS careers.
Agreements and Advocacy
Our team worked tirelessly to complete a Memorandum of Understanding for Special Service Providers coverage pay and resolved the DCTA Nursing Arbitration. Additionally, we ratified new agreements with the CFSSP, DFPNSE (FOOD), DFPNSE (PARA), ATU, and ABGW unions, ensuring fair treatment for all employees. Although not yet ratified, we reached a tentative agreement with DCTA on a new collective bargaining agreement before the end of June.
Healthcare Innovation
We hosted a Healthcare Summit with other school districts across the metro area where we reimagined employee benefits. We’re proud to have kept MotivHealth free for our staff and expanded the network with InterMountain Health and Advent Health.
Wellness and Employee Support
Wellness initiatives have grown significantly, from new yoga sessions to move collaborations with wellness champions. Blood pressure machines are now available throughout the Emily Griffith Campus, and we’ve revamped our Wellness Newsletter with new resources. We’re partnering with our Employee Assistance Program to offer webinars and videos to support mental health and coping skills.
Compensation
The compensation team is taking steps to redefine the district’s compensation philosophy and ensure our staff feels valued and supported.
Technology and Efficiency
We successfully navigated the challenges and adjustments of implementing the GPS platform for LEAP and LEAD to achieve a 99% completion rate for all teachers. We also launched the new employee space platform and partnered with teams across the district to improve our processes.
Supporting Educators and Leadership
From launching the Aspire to Teach program for displaced teachers to supporting the reassigning of itinerant teachers through the International Educator Institute (IEI) to fill vacancies in the Far Northeast, the Office of Talent continues prioritizing and supporting the needs of our educators and schools.
Community Engagement and Celebrations
We proudly participated in the Denver Pride Parade and hosted the IEI End-of-Year Celebration/Night of Honor, celebrating the hard work of our educators.
Preservice Training Institute for International Educators
We successfully launched our Preservice Summer Training Institute where over the course of three weeks, our international educators engaged in comprehensive sessions covering everything from payroll and evaluations, to academics and classroom readiness. Many sessions were designed specifically to support educators, while others offered valuable opportunities to learn alongside new and returning educators, fostering collaboration and community across DPS.
Looking Ahead
We are excited for all that we will continue to accomplish together in the upcoming year. These milestones are just a glimpse into the hard work and dedication that defines our Office of Talent teams. We would like to extend our deepest gratitude to all who have contributed to these successes.
Sincerely,
Edwin Hudson
DPS Chief of Talent