Extension averts Denver teachers strike, for now

Although the Denver school district and its teachers union failed to reach a deal on an overhaul of the district’s payfor-performance system, the prospect of a strike is less imminent.

Earlier this week, the union’s board of directors authorized a strike vote if a new agreement couldn’t be reached by the time the current one expired at midnight Wednesday.

The two sides couldn’t come to terms on how to change the system, but did reach a different kind of deal: District officials agreed to the union’s request to extend the current pay-for-performance agreement until January 2019 in the hopes that Colorado voters will approve a tax increase in November benefiting schools, making teacher pay raises more likely. However, the union did not take the threat of a strike completely off the table.

A statement from the union, the Denver Classroom Teachers Association, said the union “will begin preparing to take work actions to ensure progress on the new compensation system.” If no agreement is reached by the Jan. 18 deadline, DCTA will ask for a strike vote from union members.

In other districts that have experienced labor conflicts, teachers have picketed, refused to work extra hours and even waged “sickouts.” The Denver teachers union did not specify the types of work actions they were considering. Denver Public Schools Superintendent Tom Boasberg said the district was reluctant to sign a 10-month extension, “but in the end, we are prepared to honor their request for more time.”

“We all have a very clear, common goal and common interest around supporting our kids and giving our kids the very best chances to learn and grow,” Boasberg said. “I’m confident that common goal and common aspirations will help us move toward an agreement.”

Chalkbeat Colorado is a nonprofit news organization covering education issues. For more, visit chalkbeat.org/co.