The 4,100 members of the Jefferson County Education Association (JCEA) have ratified a new four-year contract between the Association and the Jefferson County Board of Education. The contract, once approved by the school board, expires August 31, 2011.
During the talks JCEA had two objectives. The first was to ensure that Jeffco teacher salaries and benefits remained competitive within the metro-Denver area. The second was to find solutions to address an increase in work load that teachers feel is negatively impacting their classrooms and student learning.
The agreement calls for a 4% cost-of-living increase on the salary schedule and maintenance of the current benefits plan. JCEA believes this increase will help the school district continue to recruit and retain high quality teachers.
In the area of work load, the agreement took several small steps to address teacher concerns. There will be an increase in para-professional hours at the secondary school level.Middle schools will receive 2.5 hours of additional aide time, while high schools will receive 5 additional hours This additional time is intended for use in library information and counseling centers.
The new agreement also creates a new position at both the elementary and secondary levels to support school district efforts to improve curriculum alignment and support. These new "Instructional Leaders" will receive an$1,100 stipend for their additional work.
Also, the agreement improves the language around planning time to clarify that this time must be "teacher directed." And, the parties agreed that 45 minutes each week must be found for team and/or department meetings.
Finally, the new agreement took a step toward involving teachers more meaningfully in school-based decision making. The new contract requires that every school form a Leadership Advisory Team. Its membership will include the principal and teachers elected by their peers.
JCEA President Nancy Henderson said, "This is a fair economic settlement and will help us recruit and retain high quality teachers for Jeffco Public Schools. We are less satisfied with our attempts to improve working conditions, which are a child's learning conditions. We know there is much work that needs to be done in this area, and we have promised our members that our efforts to improve teaching and learning conditions in every school have only just begun. As a professional union, JCEA remains proud of its advocacy for the teachers and students of Jeffco Public Schools."
Henderson is a high school math teacher on leave from Ralston Valley High School. JCEA, affiliated with the Colorado Education Association and the National Education Association, represents more than 5,000 teachers in the Jeffco Public Schools, the state's largest school district.