DENVER — Denver Public Schools and the teachers union were unable to reach an agreement on teacher pay Friday, setting the stage for a vote on whether teachers will strike.
DPS and the Denver Classroom Teachers Association negotiated for 10 hours Friday, before the contract expired at midnight. Teachers are scheduled to vote Saturday and Tuesday on whether to strike for the first time since 1994. The first possible day to strike would be Jan. 28.
“We want and need our teachers in our classrooms,” said DPS Superintendent Susana Cordova. “We hope the union will continue negotiations so we can reach an agreement that shows how much we value our educators.”
“It is very disappointing,” said DCTA president Henry Roman. “We fully committed to negotiations for more than a year with a goal of keeping more of our talented and dedicated teachers in the district.”
The DCTA has a long list of things it wants, including salary increases and incentives for training. DPS had offered a 10-percent increase to base salaries and an additional $26.5 million in total compensation, which is $8 million short of what DCTA is asking for.