Legislation that would keep Denver Public Schools from placing longtime teachers on permanent unpaid leave died Monday, but not before the state lawmaker who authored the bill chastised district administrators for not compromising.
State Rep. Joe Salazar, D-Thornton, asked lawmakers on the House Education Committee to kill his bill so he could broker a legislative fix that might encourage a compromise between DPS and the Colorado Education Association. The teachers union is suing the district over the “mutual consent” provision of the 2010 teacher-evaluation law.
Under the law, school districts are not required to “force” place veteran teachers who lose their jobs because of budget cuts, drops in enrollment or the turnaround process at low-performing schools. Teachers can be placed at a school only if the principal wants them. If they cannot find a spot in a year, they are placed on unpaid leave.
Salazar called the process of placing teachers with good evaluations on unpaid leave “shocking, staggering and unconscionable.”
He said DPS administrators refused several amendments he offered as a compromise on the bill, which would require the district to either assign the teacher to another position or dismiss the teacher under the state’s due-process provisions.
“It is unfortunately obvious that DPS administration does not honor the give and take of the democratic process,” Salazar said.
DPS Superintendent Tom Boasberg said the district is willing to see if a compromise can be reached but not if it involves placing teachers in schools that do not want them.
“This bill is a civil-rights travesty, and to be dragged back to the days of forced placement of teachers in schools where they are not wanted is wrong for kids, wrong for teachers and wrong for schools,” Boasberg said.
Zahira Torres: 303-954-1244, ztorres@denverpost.com or twitter.com/zahiratorresdp
