Jefferson County School Board approves contract, but teachers still unhappy

An angry silence filled the room as about 100 teachers and community members listened to the Jefferson County School Board unanimously approve a 10-month contract between the teacher’s union and the district.

“It is utterly disrespectful to give a three-year contract to the superintendent and a 10-month contract to teachers,” said Paula Reed, a Columbine High School teacher and union communications team representative, after the vote. “I think it’s so sad that we keep talking about how the best contract is where both sides are unhappy. What about a win-win?”

In approving the contract with the Jefferson County Education Association on Thursday, the Jeffco school board continued its 46-year working relationship with the union and averted the possibility of a teacher strike. Union membership had previously approved the agreement. The current contract expires Aug. 31.

“This landmark rewrite of a 120-page agreement, reducing it to 41 pages, brings with it – I am sure – a period of change,” board president Ken Witt said. “We owe it to our students to carefully consider this year where the spirit of this agreement is being met and where we may have need for revision.”

Witt is one of three board members, including John Newkirk and Julie Williams, who face an upcoming recall election following petitions by Jefferson County residents dissatisfied with the board’s actions.

The contract approval comes after five months of negotiations between the district and union. It takes effect Sept. 1 and expires 10 months from now on June 30. Although many on both sides like that a contract is in place, its length remains a point of contention. Many teachers and parents, along with minority board members Jill Fellman and Lesley Dahlkemper, say the term is unreasonable and constitutes a waste of taxpayer money.

“I’m less than excited about a 10-month contract,” Fellman said. “I think that we have better things to do than be continually negotiating. However, I do think it’s really good that we’re starting the school year with expectations of our teachers and that they have direction.”

“A short-term agreement means that students will be losing more high-quality, experienced educators to other districts,” said union president John Ford, a Moore Middle School social studies teacher. “It means the district will be spending tens of thousands of dollars repeating this process in just a few months. Those are dollars that are better spent in the classroom.”