A tentative contract agreement has been reached between the Denver Public Schools (DPS) and the Denver Classroom Teachers Association, promising a $1,000 annual cost-of-living raise for teachers over the next three years.
The agreement comes after intense negotiations, during which DPS previously declared an impasse last month, requiring mediation to move forward.
Under the new tentative agreement, which must be ratified by both the teachers’ union and the school board, the contract will be effective from September 1, 2025, to August 31, 2028.
In addition to the salary adjustments, this agreement aims to address class sizes, committing to a cap of 30 students in elementary classrooms, starting in the 2026-27 school year.
This initiative was a significant point of concern for the Denver Classroom Teachers Association, which has long advocated for lower class sizes as essential to improving educational quality.
The last update to class size caps occurred in 1994, prior to a strike when the union secured a limit of 35 students per classroom.
Despite anticipated declines in overall student enrollment, DPS has noted an influx of migrant students leading to increased classroom sizes.
Current district data reveals that 9% of elementary classrooms this school year have more than 30 students enrolled.
While the union had hoped for stricter guidelines on class sizes, union President Rob Gould expressed cautious optimism regarding the agreement, saying, “We believe the tentative agreement reached today offers a better path forward, particularly for grades Kindergarten through 5th.”
Gould also mentioned a class size committee that will continue to advocate for further initiatives in this area.
In terms of pay, the agreement includes guaranteed raises but not at the level initially sought by the union.
In addition to the $1,000 annual cost-of-living increase, teachers will also receive an average 2.97% increase based on their years of experience and educational qualifications for the next school year.
Next year, starting pay for teachers in Denver will increase from $55,257 to $57,666, representing a 4.4% raise.
For the most experienced educators—those with a doctorate and 20 years of service—salary will bump from $120,169 to $124,233, an increase of 3.4%.
Furthermore, all teachers will receive an additional 2.55% pay raise due to a law enacted this spring that reduces the district’s contributions to the state pension fund, allowing these savings to be shared with union members.
Additionally, teachers will receive a one-time bonus of $1,000 next year, although no bonuses are planned for the 2026-27 or 2027-28 school years.
The memorandum of understanding, part of the agreement, states that the Denver school board is encouraged to place a funding increase initiative on the ballot for either November 2025 or November 2026.
This discussion will center on how the additional funding can be utilized to potentially enhance teacher salaries.
School board President Carrie Olson has stated that it would be premature to address questions regarding the agreement until after it has been ratified by the DCTA.
The board will reconvene in August, at which point discussions on the agreement will take place, pending ratification.
It’s noted that September 5 is the deadline for placing any measure on the November ballot, while the last time Denver voters passed an initiative to increase teacher pay was in 2020.
As the education environment in Denver continues to evolve, the agreement symbolizes a substantial step in addressing both teacher compensation and student classroom sizes, focusing on long-term educational outcomes.
image source from：chalkbeat
