Denver Public Schools, Teachers' Union Remain At Impasse
DENVER (CBS4)- The Denver Classroom Teachers Association met for negotiations with Denver Public Schools on Thursday, but the two sides could not reach an agreement. The main sticking point is increasing teachers' base pay and decreasing one-time bonuses.
Last week, the union said that 93 percent of teachers voted to strike but the walkout is on hold until the state decides whether to intervene at the district's request.
"Tonight was a lost opportunity for students, parents and the community. Denver teachers are very disappointed that DPS did not take this bargaining session seriously. The district offered no new ideas for creating a fair, competitive salary schedule that will keep good teachers and special service providers in our schools. Instead, DPS offered the promise of more money in the future, but after several years of broken promises, we're not willing to accept an I.O.U. DCTA remains committed to good-faith bargaining when DPS is ready to come back to the table with a thoughtful proposal aimed at reversing the massive teacher turnover our students suffer from year after year," said DCTA spokesman Harry Roman in a statement.
Superintendent Susana Cordova said the district presented a new proposal during the meeting but the DCTA rejected the offer and according to DPS, the union did not offer a counter proposal.
"I am disappointed that the DCTA did not engage in the discussion or bring a counter proposal. They chose to leave at 6:45 p.m. when we were scheduled to bargain until 8 pm. We came committed to negotiating, and had anticipated we would have the opportunity to share additional ideas with DCTA about the structure of the new system. We would have been willing to provide a counter-proposal if we had seen one brought forward by the Association," said Cordova in a statement.