Denver Teachers Reach Tentative Deal To End Walkout
Updated at 10:05 a.m. ET
After a long night of bargaining, teachers in Denver who were on strike over wages and bonuses have reached a tentative agreement with school district officials to end their walkout. The strike began Monday, after 15 months of negotiations ended without a deal.
The teachers are expected to be back in most classes today.
The agreement came after more than half of the district's approximately 4,700 teachers failed to report to classrooms on Wednesday. Administrators and substitute teachers kept most schools open, but some 5,000 preschoolers saw classes cancelled.
"This agreement is a win, plain and simple: for our students; for our educators; and for our communities," Denver Classroom Teachers Association President Henry Roman, an elementary school teacher, said in a statement.
"No longer will our students see their education disrupted because their teachers cannot afford to stay in their classrooms," he said.
Roman says the agreement ensures that educators have a transparent salary schedule and will be less dependent on unpredictable bonuses.
The agreement includes a 20-step salary schedule, clear increases of between 7 percent and 11 percent in base salary, cost of living increases and "an end to exorbitant five-figure bonuses for senior DPS administrators," the teachers association said.
"All week, the nation has looked to Denver with hopeful hearts," Lily Eskelsen GarcÃa, president of the National Education Association, said. "We are so proud of Denver's educators and this historic agreement that will provide greater opportunity for Denver students and stability for their schools."
To take effect, the tentative agreement must be ratified by a majority of members of CONTINUE READING:Denver Teachers Reach Tentative Deal To End Walkout | 89.3 KPCC
