Denver Teacher Strike: 71,00 Students Without a Teacher

The Denver Public Schools teachers are striking for the first time in twenty-five years. This monumental strike is happening because teachers are upset about an unfair bonus system that limits teacher pay. After a fifteen month fight with the school district for better pay, the union has decided to strike.

Students are facing empty classrooms as these hard working teachers demand the money  they deserve. Denver Public Schools serve 71,000 students who are currently without their normal teachers. The school district hired 300 new substitute teachers and has an active roster of 1,200 substitute teachers. But, students have found the substitute teachers to be inadequate. Some students have chosen to participate in the strike by picketing outside the Colorado State Capitol after realizing they would not be learning while their teachers are on strike.

The 161 public schools have remained open with administrators taking over the role of teachers when substitutes are not available. The district hopes to not cancel school for anyone besides the preschool classes for 3 and 4-year-olds. Many parents have complained of staying home with their children because they do not see the purpose in their kids attending school without a regular classroom teacher.

The Denver Public Schools system uses the ProComp pay system to dictate teacher compensation. A starting teacher salary begins at $43,255 a year, placing Colorado in 30th place for teacher pay. The teachers’ union wants a pay that reflects the hard work and dedication teachers have to their profession.

Denver Public Schools gives bonuses to teachers who work in schools with students from low-income families, in schools that are designated high priority, and in positions that are considered hard to staff, such as special education or speech language pathology. The $1500 to $3000 bonuses are distributed to the same teachers every year, with most teachers not seeing an increase in pay. The teacher’s union wants to lower or eliminate the bonuses so that more money would be added to overall teacher pay.

The district offers the bonuses because they can motivate teachers to boost the academic performance of poor and minority students. Teachers argue the lack of fair bonuses leads to high turnover, which they say hurts students. The teacher’s union is advocating for smaller class sizes and more support staff to help disadvantaged students learn.

This monumental strike shows teachers are standing up against  injustices in the education system. With lots of work to be done, it is very likely that we’ll be seeing more school unions striking to ensure that teachers’ are being paid fairly,  students have the materials and staff they need to learn, and ultimately that students receive the education they are entitled to.

By Sophie Kieffer