Teachers union bargaining team walks out on talks

GOLDEN — Hundreds of Jefferson County teachers walked out of a contract negotiating session en masse Monday night, showing their dissatisfaction with school board decisions affecting their wages and the negotiating process itself.

“This process shows us that the board is neither respectful nor collaborative,” Stephie Rossi, vice president of the Jefferson County Education Association, said during a planned rally in the parking lot of district headquarters at 1829 W. Denver Drive.

Rossi added that teacher contract negotiations would continue, but through mediation.

The teachers object that no one on the school board of Jefferson County Public Schools was part of the negotiating team.

Hundreds of teachers stood in a semi-circle, chanting “Standing up for kids” and waving banners with slogans, including “We Want Transparency.”

Recent board decisions affecting teacher wages and only funding half-day kindergarten, while increasing charter school funding, are not acceptable, Rossi said.

Jefferson County employees have worked for four years without a pay increase. That included two years of pay decreases, Rossi said. The board is now reneging on a promise to give a pay raise, she added.

“We deserve better,” Rossi said.

Lauren Kott, an English teacher at Arvada West High School, said if the board does not increase raises, she will be forced to leave the school district and work at another Denver-area district.

Kott, who receives $45,000 a year for teaching, said she must work a second job to make ends meet. She works 25 hours a week at a tax office, she said.

“With my student loans, I can’t pay all my bills with just my teacher’s salary,” she said.

Rossi asked all teachers to wear blue clothing on Thursday to show they “stand up for all students.”

“We are sending the board a very clear message tonight: It is time for deeds,” she said, “not words.”