Districts and unions settling earlier, for less
Posted by Nancy Mitchell on Jun 27th, 2010.
Colorado school districts and their teachers’ unions are settling contract talks earlier this year as record cuts in state education funding leave little room for negotiations – or raises.In some districts, teacher paychecks will grow by a few dollars in 2010-11 as districts follow through on increases earned for another year of work and the completion of more college credits.
But even those annual bumps in pay, which commonly range from 2 to 3 percent and which are a given in better budget years, have been whittled down in seven of the state’s ten largest school districts.
Where it hurts
Teachers in Cherry Creek agreed to cut their experience bumps to .5 percent. In Denver and the Adams Five Star districts, teachers agreed to delay those increases for months to ease the financial burden.
And in Douglas County and St. Vrain, teachers expect no increases at all for an additional year of work.
“I think it is fair to say that overall, teacher salaries are being frozen,” said Deborah Fallin, spokeswoman for the Colorado Education Association, the state’s largest teachers’ union.
Not just teachers – the minute jumps or static wages likely also apply to classroom aides and principals. It’s common for districts to negotiate a deal with their teachers and then apply its terms to all employee groups.
In some cases, teachers are the only ones getting more money, however slight. All non-instructional staff pay in Cherry Creek was frozen