CONTACT
Angelina Reed
Denver Classroom Teachers Association
AReed@coloradoea.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 6, 2025
DENVER, CO – Yesterday, May 5, 2025, the first day of Teacher Appreciation Week, Denver Public Schools (DPS) declared an impasse in negotiations with the Denver Classroom Teachers Association (DCTA), claiming that both sides have exhausted good faith efforts to reach a settlement. DCTA strongly disagrees and believes that progress is still possible without using valuable resources on a mediator, if DPS is willing to engage in genuine and meaningful negotiations.
“Our bargaining team has consistently come to the table ready to negotiate real solutions that prioritize educators’ working conditions, because those are our students’ learning conditions,” said Rob Gould, special education teacher and DCTA President.
“Rather than bargaining with educators in good faith, the district has chosen to show their love and appreciation for its educators by walking away from the table, claiming all remedies have been exhausted. But if that were true, we wouldn’t still be met with weekly stall tactics and surface-level engagement at the table. The district has refused to offer real solutions, showing they’re comfortable with overcrowded classrooms, unfilled positions, and maintaining the status quo.”
DCTA notes that the district has repeatedly failed to offer any meaningful counter proposals and has responded by crossing out DCTA’s proposals without offering alternatives. Most recently, when educators shared powerful stories about the conditions leading to burnout, the district characterized the stories as a “grandstanding.”
On the same day it declared impasse, DPS sent a district-wide email using the hashtag #DPSLovesTeachers while also informing DCTA that it would not attend the three upcoming scheduled bargaining sessions on May 5, May 12, and May 19. The district stated it would not return to negotiations until mediation begins on May 28.
“Let’s be clear. Appreciation emails and hashtags are not a substitute for fair pay, manageable workloads, and respectful working conditions,” said Gould. “Educators see through this district’s performative gestures. If the district truly valued its educators, they would be at the table working toward real solutions instead of walking away from them.”
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