On January 18th, in front of hundreds of teachers/SSPs and community members, your DCTA Bargaining Team unveiled its rallying cry: ?Our Students. Our Profession. Our Careers.? along with our demands to the District, ahead of the upcoming contract negotiations. This year, both the Master Agreement, which governs teacher and SSP working conditions, and ProComp will be open for negotiations, although official negotiations on ProComp will likely begin in the fall.
Our Students.
The working conditions for teachers and SSPs are also the learning conditions of our students. Our bargaining team is committed to improving education for everyone.
WE DEMAND THAT:
- The District address the whole child by guaranteeing health, sexual education, and true elective courses.
- Our students receive fresh fruits and vegetables daily.
- Each student have 45 minutes of recess/physical education each day.
- Teachers/SSPs have smaller Classroom and SSP caseload sizes.
- The District impose a moratorium on charter schools in Denver.
Our Profession.
Teaching is a profession, and our teachers and SSPs demand to be treated as professionals. It is time that the District value our expertise and experience.
WE DEMAND THAT:
- LEAP be replaced with a system that is designed with teacher input. Our new evaluation system must focus on improving teachers at their craft instead of penalizing them.
- The District?s right to close improving schools be limited. Teacher and community voice must be heard and valued.
- Teacher voice be strengthened within committees that are already in place, like SLT and CSC. We are here to actually help make decisions. We are not a formality. We are experts and deserve to be heard.
Our Careers.
Teaching is not just a job. It?s a career. In our country, we are in the midst of a teacher shortage, and our District needs policies in place that both attract good teachers, but also retains them.
WE DEMAND THAT:
- New teachers receive a starting salary of $50,000, and all salaries increase proportionally.
- The 14 year cap on salary base-building be removed so that we all are rewarded for the hard work that we do.
- Every teacher and SSP, including the 65% who are probationary, have the right to due process.