Denver Teachers Strike: Day 1
Denver teachers strike: Day 1
According to the district, 2,169 teachers have walked off the job as of 8:15 a.m. Some students have also walked out of class to show support for the teachers strike in Denver.
Author: Jacob Rodriguez - February 11, 2019
DENVER — Feb. 11 – 8:20 a.m. – THE LATEST
According to district spokesperson Will Jones, as of 8:15 a.m., 2,169 teachers have walked off the job. Teachers are striking over the way the district’s compensation money is spent – the district has offered to put millions into incentives, but teachers are demanding that money be used to beef up the district’s base pay model for teachers.
Feb. 11 – 8:10 a.m.
Sign roundup! Below you’ll see a collection of various signs from the teachers strike. We’ll do this throughout the day.
A clever spin on a popular acronym:
Baker Mayfield is known for winning…
Some South High students have walked out of their classes in support of the strike:
Striking happens pretty early – he’s a look at CEC Early College around 7 a.m.:
Why this teacher is striking:
Feb. 11 – 8 a.m.
Dozens of teachers are picketing outside of Hamilton Middle School, chanting things like “we can’t stay without fair pay” and “we’re not going to take it anymore.”
As far as Hamilton is concerned, 800 students will be divided up into the auditorium, the gymnasium and the cafeteria for class. Six licensed substitute teachers were assigned there.
As of 8 a.m., the teachers striking outside of Hamilton walked down the street to Holm Elementary to support the teachers there. Classes are underway there with subs taking over.
Follow 9NEWS reporter Jon Glasgow for more.
Feb. 11 – 7:35 a.m.
For parents looking for some activities for their children in Denver, the Denver Public Library announced that all of its locations will open at 10 a.m. for the duration of the strike and provide “active and passive programs to keep students engaged.”
The library said in a Facebook post that it was working with the mayor, the district and the parks department to provide resources and help to students and families during the strike.
Feb. 11 – 7:25 a.m.
A by-the-numbers look at the strike as students begin to show up to Denver Public Schools classrooms:
- More than 1,400 central office team members will be deployed to Denver classrooms
- DPS said it’s recruited more than 300 guest teachers. That’s in addition to the 1,200 already on the active roster this year.
- Each day that teachers are striking, DPS estimates it could cost over $400,000. That includes the cost of paying substitute teachers, the amount paid to provide strike curriculum and materials and the loss of ECE revenue.
- All together, Denver teachers and Special Service Providers (SSPs) are paid $2 million a day in compensation. A striking teacher would lose, on average, $400 per day in pay.
- DPS has 5,353 teachers and SSPs (social workers, psychologists, speech-language pathologists, etc.)
- Substitutes would be paid double the regular substitute pay during a strike, $212 a day. Retired teachers would be paid $250 a day.