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Labor unions, school district agree
Special to the News-Press
The recently ratified agreements between the labor unions and the Douglas County School District were accepted by the Board of Education for Douglas County Schools on Oct. 20.
"On behalf of Douglas County School District,” Interim Superintendent Dr. Steve Herzog said. “I want to thank the bargaining teams who have worked diligently and collaboratively during these challenging times. The agreements reached will support the District’s efforts to maintain its current operations while ensuring superior academic achievements continue as we graduate responsible citizens.”
The strong and stable relationships between the labor unions, the Douglas County Federation of Teachers, Douglas County Federation of Classified Employees and the Amalgamated Transportation Union, allowed the organizations to reach agreements that were ratified by over 80 percent of each of the unions’ voting members.
“I credit the interest-based bargaining process as a key factor to our ability to come to an agreement during these difficult times,” president of Douglas County Federation of Teachers Brenda Smith, said.
“This process has served the District and our labor unions well in recent years as it ensures that no decision is reached in haste, all factors are thoroughly studied and understood by all concerned parties. It is truly collaborative in nature.”
The current economic challenges faced by the district includes the state of Colorado’s impending budget shortfall of hundreds of millions of dollars, slowing growth in student enrollment, reduced per pupil revenue growth, and increasing expenses for medical and retirement benefits. The contract agreements have taken the current economic uncertainties and challenges into consideration and have agreed to a pay freeze for the current year. Additionally, the change to a consumer-driven health plan should slow the escalating costs of employee health care.
The district and the unions recognize recruitment and retention of high-quality teachers and employees, is dependent on providing a competitive compensation package. Therefore, both the district and the unions have a mutual interest in conducting a study to examine alternative methods and structures for compensating employees in a fair and equitable manner. The Board of Education recently addressed this same issue by passing an amended Executive Limitation on Compensation/Benefits/Employment that emphasizes refinement and enhancement of the District’s innovative Pay for Performance system, a system that has received national recognition.
The recently ratified agreements between the labor unions and the Douglas County School District were accepted by the Board of Education for Douglas County Schools on Oct. 20.
"On behalf of Douglas County School District,” Interim Superintendent Dr. Steve Herzog said. “I want to thank the bargaining teams who have worked diligently and collaboratively during these challenging times. The agreements reached will support the District’s efforts to maintain its current operations while ensuring superior academic achievements continue as we graduate responsible citizens.”
The strong and stable relationships between the labor unions, the Douglas County Federation of Teachers, Douglas County Federation of Classified Employees and the Amalgamated Transportation Union, allowed the organizations to reach agreements that were ratified by over 80 percent of each of the unions’ voting members.
“I credit the interest-based bargaining process as a key factor to our ability to come to an agreement during these difficult times,” president of Douglas County Federation of Teachers Brenda Smith, said.
“This process has served the District and our labor unions well in recent years as it ensures that no decision is reached in haste, all factors are thoroughly studied and understood by all concerned parties. It is truly collaborative in nature.”
The current economic challenges faced by the district includes the state of Colorado’s impending budget shortfall of hundreds of millions of dollars, slowing growth in student enrollment, reduced per pupil revenue growth, and increasing expenses for medical and retirement benefits. The contract agreements have taken the current economic uncertainties and challenges into consideration and have agreed to a pay freeze for the current year. Additionally, the change to a consumer-driven health plan should slow the escalating costs of employee health care.
The district and the unions recognize recruitment and retention of high-quality teachers and employees, is dependent on providing a competitive compensation package. Therefore, both the district and the unions have a mutual interest in conducting a study to examine alternative methods and structures for compensating employees in a fair and equitable manner. The Board of Education recently addressed this same issue by passing an amended Executive Limitation on Compensation/Benefits/Employment that emphasizes refinement and enhancement of the District’s innovative Pay for Performance system, a system that has received national recognition.
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