Rocky Mountain Voice

Tag: Teacher Pay

School Funding Concerns Grow As Douglas County Faces $22 Million Deficit
The Denver Gazette, Approved, Local

School Funding Concerns Grow As Douglas County Faces $22 Million Deficit

By Nicholas Fogleman | The Denver Gazette The Douglas County School Board on Tuesday previewed its proposed 2026–27 budget amid declining enrollment and a projected $22 million deficit. District officials said the shortfall will be partially covered by a one-time drawdown of the district’s general fund, bringing the balance in line with pre-COVID levels. However, leaders warned the approach is temporary and will require more permanent solutions in the following year. “Without a structural change to how we fund schools in this state, there is at least a substantial risk that next year’s budget would not just be lower but substantially so,” board member Brad Geiger said. “Any substantial decrease in our budget means decreasing employees.” The proposed $901 ...
SB 135 Education Tax Plan Lacks Accountability For Teacher Pay Raises
Complete Colorado, Approved, Commentary, State

SB 135 Education Tax Plan Lacks Accountability For Teacher Pay Raises

By Nash Herman | Commentary, Complete Colorado According to the sponsors of Senate Bill 135, Colorado teachers will remain severely underpaid unless voters approve massive spending increases and a permanent change to how the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights (TABOR) revenue cap is calculated.  In reality, even if it were true that Colorado’s teachers are underpaid, the SB-135 tax hike does not guarantee that things like teacher pay will increase or that teacher retention will improve.  Let’s examine why.  False advertising  The stated purpose of SB-135 is to direct new education funding to any of four categories, as best determined by school districts: increasing teacher pay, improving teacher retention, lowering class size...
Denver voters choose union-backed Democrats over reform in school board sweep
Chalkbeat Colorado, Approved, Local

Denver voters choose union-backed Democrats over reform in school board sweep

By Melanie Asmar | Chalkbeat Colorado A “blue wave” swept across the country on Election Day. But in Denver, all the school board candidates were Democrats. So, faced with similar choices, voters bubbled their ballots for the candidates endorsed by a Democratic stalwart: the teachers union. “If you’re in a blue city and you’re a blue voter, you’re going to vote for the true-blue candidates — and the true-blue candidates were the union candidates,” said Van Schoales, a longtime supporter of the Democratic brand of education reform. For many years, Denver Public Schools was considered a national exemplar of the type of education reform that favors school choice and charter schools but not private school vouchers. A 2019 teachers strike sparked in part by pushback to reform polici...
Results speak for themselves: The D51 school board has earned re-election
Rocky Mountain Voice, Commentary, Local, Top Stories

Results speak for themselves: The D51 school board has earned re-election

By Kent Zook | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice I am writing to express my support for Andrea Haitz (District C), Will Jones (District D), and Angela Lema (District E), who are seeking re-election to the District 51 School Board. I voted for them because we needed a huge change, and their work since taking office has exceeded my expectations. They’ve made significant improvements that deserve to continue. I am writing to express my support and praise for the current school board. I voted for the current school board because we needed a huge change. Their work has exceeded my expectations. They’ve made significant improvements. The teachers union has been in control of District 51 for the last forty years, and during that time we’ve had some of the lowest test scores in th...
New 3-year deal between teachers union and DPS sparks debate on costs and accountability
Fox31, Approved, Local

New 3-year deal between teachers union and DPS sparks debate on costs and accountability

By Abraham Jewett | Fox 31 DENVER (KDVR) — The Denver Classroom Teachers Association announced Thursday that it has voted to ratify a new three-year collective bargaining agreement with Denver Public Schools. The vote to ratify comes around two months after the DCTA reached a tentative agreement with DPS in June, following several months of negotiations. The DCTA said more than 81% of its members voted in favor of the new collective bargaining agreement, which will be valid through 2028. “As a democratic, member-led organization, every vote cast reflects our shared commitment to creating better working and learning conditions for Denver’s educators and students,” said Michelle Horwitz, bilingual speech-language pathologist and co-chair of the DCTA Bargaining Team, in ...

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