On February 24, 2025 we kicked off our first bargaining session of the year. We’re proud to share that over 200 members showed up to show their solidarity with the bargaining team and support for a strong contract! Your presence sent a clear message to the district: educators are united in our fight for the schools our students deserve. A huge thank you to our bargaining team for their dedication in bringing forward proposals that reflect the priorities you’ve shared over the past year.
During this first session, we established our bargaining structure: the DCTA Bargaining Team and the DPS Bargaining Team will present all initial proposals over the first five sessions (every Monday through spring break, plus Wednesday, March 12). After that, we’ll move into counter proposals, giving our team the opportunity to debate proposals and uplift member stories at the table.
Here’s what we proposed in our first session:
- Equity & Educator Protection (Contract Articles 31 and 23): We pushed for transparent data on educator retention, particularly for historically marginalized communities, and introduced language to protect educators from deadnaming.
- Leave Flexibility (Contract Article 20): We proposed transitioning from separate sick and personal leave categories to a more flexible system of 20 leave days, allowing educators to use them as needed. This includes improved parental leave structures and better support for extended leave.
- Contract Enforcement (Contract Article 7): We introduced a process designed to strengthen educators’ ability to defend their contractual rights.
Having a packed room on night one of bargaining sent a clear message to the district. Let’s keep up the momentum! Join us at the next bargaining session at 5 PM on Monday, March 3, at the DPS Acoma Campus (1617 S Acoma St, Denver, CO 80223).
We have limited edition, limited quantity DCTA bargaining t-shirts for those who come to bargaining in-person. We have a limited quantity, so show up to support your bargaining team and get your t-shirt to wear to future bargaining sessions!
Be there, bring a friend, and let’s demand that DPS respects, pays and values its committed and dedicated educators who serve students every day!
