To my fellow educators,

First and foremost, I want to thank our bargaining team for their tireless efforts and the countless hours they’ve poured into negotiating this contract. The inclusion of new language focused on equity, educator mental health, and workload protections for SSPs and Special Educators—including a workload calculator—is meaningful progress that should not go unrecognized.

These wins matter, and they reflect the dedication of educators fighting for a better system.

But while there are important steps forward in this agreement, we must also acknowledge where it falls short—and where it fails many of us. As professionals committed to our students and to each other, we cannot accept a contract that continues to neglect our real needs, misrepresents progress, and undermines the future of our profession.

That’s why I urge you to VOTE NO on ratification of the proposed contract.

Here’s why:

Class Sizes: We Don’t Need More Studies – We Need Action

We’re already managing classrooms of 35 students with one teacher and inconsistent support. The proposed contract offers to “monitor” or “study” class sizes, but we all know what that means: more delay, no change.

We don’t need another committee or promise of future solutions. We need contract language that holds the district accountable NOW!

A $1000 Raise? Before Taxes? That’s Not a Cost-of-Living Adjustment

A $1000 salary bump divided over 12 months and taxed doesn’t even come close to covering the rise in rent, groceries, transportation, or child care in Denver. This isn’t a meaningful COLA (Cost of Living Adjustment) — it’s an insult.

We’ve been fighting for a real COLA. This contract delivers spin, not support.

A Raise for Some – At the Expense of Most

Yes, the proposal includes increases for first-year teachers and those with doctorates, but what about the rest of us?

Veteran educators, mid-career professionals — we’re the backbone of our schools, and this contract leaves us behind. This divide-and-conquer approach is short-sighted and demoralizing.

This Is About More Than Money – It’s About Respect

If we ratify this contract, we send a message that this is acceptable — that we’ll settle for less, again. But we are not asking for luxury. We are demanding basic fairness: manageable class sizes, livable wages, and equitable support for all.

We are educators. We advocate for students every day. Now we must advocate for ourselves and our colleagues.

Vote NO. Stand United. Demand Better.

It’s disappointing that DCTA leadership has put politics before members by rushing through and attempting to wrap up the contract so that their Executive Director can focus on her bid for Congress in an attempt to avoid a strike and potential controversy.

According to the National Bureau of Economic Research “The Causes and Consequences of U.S. Teacher Strikes,” their chief findings include:

• Strikes increased compensation by 8 percent, or roughly $10,000 per teacher per year, by the fifth year after a strike.
• Strikes also improved working conditions, with student-teacher ratios decreasing by 0.5, on average, or 3.2 percent. They also caused an approximate 7 percent increase in spending on non-instructional staff, like social workers, nurses, etc.
• These improvements to salaries and working conditions came from new money to districts from states, rather than the reallocation of existing district funds.
• There are “no sizable positive or negative effects on student achievement,” the study’s authors note. 

Source: https://www.nea.org/nea-today/all-news-articles/teacher-strikes-lead-higher-pay-lower-class-sizes-more-state-funds

Sign this petition and show our union, our district, and our community that educators will not be divided, silenced, or sold short.

We deserve a contract that reflects the reality of our work and the dignity of our profession.

In solidarity,
A Fellow Educator