Jeffco school district and teachers in midst of contract negotiations

Negotiations between the Jeffco School District and the teacher’s union are advancing, with the two coming to agreement on several topics, while still deep in conversations on the issues of time off and compensation.The district and Jefferson County Education Association are trying to rework the way personal, association, court and sick leave policies are written. The group discussed issues on both sides, expectations on teacher contract days, and how a school culture around sick leave and personal leave can encourage an educator to be in the classroom most days.For compensation, both sides are looking at entering into a grid system that reintroduces steps and levels to the district, which was used before the 2014-2015 school year. The two teams considered what it would take to ensure a competitive pay structure for all educators compared to surrounding districts.Nothing had been agreed on as of press time.”We understand we’re not going to equalize in a year, we understand we’re not going to equalize in two or three years,” said Arik Heim, negotiating member for the union of a potential salary grid that could be used as a bridge to conversation of what the team would like for compensation.Heim added that proposals by the teachers association would bring teacher compensation closer to what both sides would like to see.Compensation will be discussed as a separate item as negotiations move forward.The two groups also discussed the evaluations process, the length of the contract, employee status, instructional coach roles, communication processes and the district’s relationship with the union.”We’re fully committed to working in good faith to work through the process and get a successor agreement,” said Jim Branum, district legal counsel and negotiator, regarding the contract length and the relationship.Started in late February, this round of negotiation centers on items the two sides would like to see fixed or amended in the 41-page contract that governs their relationship. Last year, the two negotiated for five months to rework the document, agreeing on many items, and agreeing to renegotiate others, like compensation, this season. The current 10-month contract expires in June.The next meeting will be specifically about resources, case and class load, time management and collaboration. It will be 4-8 p.m., March 28, at the Jeffco Education Center, 1829 Denver West Blvd.