Denver Teachers Poised To Strike

Source: U.S. News

2 hrs. ago. As one teachers union strike in Los Angeles comes to a close, educators in Denver are poised to head to the picket lines. The 5,600 members of the Denver Classroom Teachers Association were set to vote Tuesday to strike as early as Jan. 28, after negotiations with Denver Public School officials over compensation fell apart last week.

"By standing united, and pressuring our publicly elected officials and Superintendent [Susana] Cordova, we can help prevent a strike from taking place," the union leaders said in a statement. "We must use our collective power to take back our public schools and ensure Denver retains the most qualified and experienced public educators."

At issue is the payment structure for bonuses, which allow Denver educators to earn more for things like students' high test scores, teaching in a high-performing or high-poverty school and strong evaluations. The school district officials proposed an additional $20.5 million for the bonus program and indicated that they want higher bonuses for teachers who work in high-poverty schools, where teacher turnover has been a problem. But the union negotiators asked for $28 million, the bulk of which they want to go to increasing base salaries.

"In the span of our negotiations, we've seen significant movement," said Cordova, who characterized the package the district offered as "very compelling." "We've negotiated in very good faith," she said. "I remain ready, willing and interested in negotiating."


Read more: http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/denver-teachers-poised-to-strike/ar-BBSBNxb?ocid=HPCOMMDHP15

---

If the Denver strike proceeds it will be the second major U.S. city to do so in 2019 in less than a month, affirming a continuation of 2018 teacher unrest that impacted WV, OK, AZ and KY. The recent Los Angeles teachers strike, the second largest American school district came to an end Tuesday with a tentative labor agreement.



DCTA members march yesterday in a Martin Luther King Jr. memorial parade.