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Negotiations Update: Teacher Compensation Proposal
Dear Teachers,
We want to share our compensation proposal
that we gave yesterday to the Denver Classroom Teachers Association (DCTA) during our contract negotiations. We are committed to working with DCTA to get to contract agreement as soon as possible.
Our proposal will mean
an average annual compensation increase of more than 5% for teachers in the coming school year
. It will be our largest salary increase in a decade and will be
the highest increase
for teachers
in the metro area
. And, it will target resources at our high-poverty schools.
Highlights include:
- $1,100 increase for every teacher, in addition to all steps, lanes and ProComp incentives.
- Expansion of the Hard-to-Serve Incentive ($2,649) to all teachers -- both ProComp and traditional salary schedule teachers -- in all Title 1 schools, which will result in 1,200 additional teachers receiving this incentive for working in our high-poverty schools.
- Additional planning day at the beginning of the year to give teachers more planning time.
- Beginning next year, an additional $1,200/year in insurance premium subsidies for teachers who select insurance plans that cover their children.
- The district will pay the entire increase of .5% in contributions for PERA, the Public Employees Retirement Association.
- Commitments in 2018-19 and 2019-20 that teacher salaries will keep pace with inflation.
Our proposal represents another year in which teacher salary increases will outpace the increase we received in state education funding.
We know that the cost of housing is rising significantly faster in Denver than increases in state funding, and this continues to be an acute challenge for all of us. It is why it is so important that we advocate together for Colorado to improve its school funding.
We make the following four commitments to you, our teachers, now and moving forward:
- DPS will support our teachers with the lowest student-teacher ratios, strongest social-emotional supports for kids and greatest resources in our highest-needs schools.
- DPS will provide the highest-quality professional development, feedback opportunities and growth supports for our teachers.
- DPS will continue to invest in the nation's most extensive teacher leadership program, providing opportunities for strong teachers to lead in their schools without leaving the classrooms they love.
- DPS will be at the top or, at minimum, in the top two districts in terms of teacher compensation in the Denver area, and we will continue to fight at the state level in Colorado to increase inadequate education funding.
Learn more about these commitments
here.
How DPS teacher pay compares to other districts
We are committed to being the top district, or at a minimum in the top two districts, in teacher compensation in the Denver metro area. Our peer districts, the largest in the state after DPS, are Adams 12, Aurora, Cherry Creek, Douglas County and Jefferson County. Here's how we stack up:
- Across experience and education levels (i.e., steps and lanes), Denver teachers on average have either the highest (in most cases) or second-highest compensation among teachers in our peer districts.
- Thanks to ProComp, our first-year teachers right out of college can earn more than any other novice teacher in our peer districts. For example, a new teacher would be eligible for a $41,389 base salary, $1,000 in tuition/student loan reimbursement, $2,649 for working in a Hard-to-Serve or Title 1 school and another $2,649 for filling a Hard-to-Staff position, plus $1,500 for serving in one of our highest-priority schools and $779 for attending our New Educator Welcome Week. That equals $49,966.
- Thanks to Denver voters, our teachers can take on a variety of leadership and coaching roles, without having to leave the classroom, and earn up to an additional $5,000 per year.
Incentives for Teaching in DPS Beyond Pay
We know money matters, but we also know there's more to any position than the pay. We are committed to creating conditions for success where it matters most -- with our kids.
- Lowest student-teacher ratio: Denver's student-teacher ratio was 15 in 2016-17, according to state data, significantly lower than the student-teacher ratio in our peer districts: Adams 12 (20), Aurora (18), Cherry Creek (18), Douglas County (20) and Jefferson County (20).
- Most planning time: DPS leads other district in the most protected time for teachers. This includes a 45-minute duty-free lunch every day plus at least 300 minutes of self-directed planning time per week for elementary/ECE-8 teachers and 345 minutes per week for secondary teachers. Click here to see how this compares to other districts.
- Strongest social-emotional supports for kids: Thanks to Denver voters, we are investing an additional $15 million in the coming school year to help all schools better meet the social and emotional needs of their students.
Getting to an Agreement with DCTA
Given the difficulty and conflict in the current round of negotiations, DPS requested in March and multiple times since that the two sides use an independent mediator to help us come together, as we have done in almost all our past negotiations. Up until this week, however, DCTA has repeatedly refused mediation. The lack of mediation has hampered our progress.
We hope that we can begin using mediation soon to bridge our differences and get to agreement on a fair and comprehensive contract for our teachers.
Thank you for the work you do every day for Denver's kids.
Best,
Tom Boasberg Susana Cordova
Superintendent Deputy Superintendent
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