Gov. Polis won’t intervene

City’s first teachers strike since 1994 will start Monday if DPS, union don’t have deal

The union representing the majority of Denver Public Schools educators announced it will initiate the city’s first teachers strike in a quarter century next week after Gov. Jared Polis on Wednesday declined to intervene in the two sides’ ongoing compensation dispute.

DPS leaders have vowed to keep all of the district’s 161 schools open through any walkout, but Superintendent Susana Cordova acknowledged Wednesday that a strike would force the cancellation of early childhood education classes for 3- and 4-year-olds.

Still, Polis and Cordova expressed hope that the state’s largest school district and its teachers union finally will reach agreement on a new compensation plan before next week. The two sides remain about $8 million apart in their proposals.

“We’ve got Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday into Monday,” Cordova said at a news conference. “Let’s spend as much time as possible in negotiations. Let’s clear our calendars to do that.”

District officials and representatives of the Denver Classroom Teachers Association agreed to continue bargaining after the decision by Polis not to intervene, which could have delayed the teachers’ ability to strike for up to 180 days.

“No teacher wants to strike. We would rather be teaching students in our classrooms,” union presi-