Nearly 400 Adams 12 Five Star Schools teachers and supporters picketed outside the school district's Thornton headquarters on Sept. 5 to protest a districtwide pay cut made in June.
“There was no anger or hostility among those people who came tonight,” said Missy Salter, a District 12 Educators' Association executive board member and Shadow Ridge Middle School sixth-grade mathematics teacher. “We're just a group of teachers coming together to say, 'We know what's best for kids, and we're here to demonstrate that we're together and behind that goal for the district.'”
The 1.5 percent pay cut, which began Sept. 1, was approved by Adams 12 school board members June 20 to address a projected $12 million budget shortfall during the 2012-2013 school year.
At the time, Shelley Becker, the school district's chief financial officer, attributed the shortfall to decreased per-pupil contributions from the state and a reduction in revenue.
The school board froze pay increases for years of experience and approved the pay cut, which is slated increase to 2 percent on Jan. 1, 2013. The actions were taken to allow the district to continue funding contributions to the state's Public Employees' Retirement Association.
Malley Drive Elementary School third-grade teacher Trisha Quint learned about the pay cut on Aug. 23. On that day, Adams 12 administrators sent emails to district teachers, notifying them of the cut that would begin the following week.
She said the delayed announcement, dovetailed with the first week of school for students, “felt like a slap in the face.”
“I felt very devalued as an educator,” Quint said. “I just felt that my school district doesn't value the work that I'm doing anymore.”
Quint estimates she donated about $12,000 worth of time spent outside the classroom over the last year to the district. What's more, she said, tough economic and social conditions have added stressors for teachers, who at times, want to help students who come to school without food or clothing.
“Teachers give so much time, day in and day out, because of the kids, and the cuts impact everything we get,” Quint said. “The cuts tell teachers, 'We don't value the hard work that they're putting in and the extra hours that they're committing to students.'”
Westminster resident Joseph Hein agreed with the cut and said he, as a parent, has also felt the brunt of school district cuts over the years.
“For the first time in while, this is the first board I've seen really focused on kids and parents,” he said. “When they're talking up here, they're talking about kids and parents, and what their concerns are. I'm a parent, and I hope this board has my back. I believe that they do.”
TonysRants posted at 7:16 pm on Tue, Sep 11, 2012.
"There was no anger or hostility among those people who came tonight" - What meeting did the Window / Sentinel attend? It wasn't the same one that the world saw. The childish and intimidating actions by the teachers and union members in attendance was reprehensible and more akin to Chicago-style politics than suburban Denver. The parents that dared to challenge the unions had to be escorted to their cars after the meeting by security for their own safety! Don't believe me? Watch the video! Very poor job of reporting.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQ60pJdRyL0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=25_uhMuFhP0
Teacher111 - Honestly, stop drinking the union Kool-Aid. Your fellow union members did more to hurt your cause than help. The teachers were the losers at the meeting both in the outcome itself and in the eyes of parents and taxpayers. No one likes a bully and parents certainly don't like that behavior in the teachers whose salaries they pay.
Teacher111 posted at 9:07 pm on Mon, Sep 10, 2012.
Dear friends...I want to thank a teacher and fellow Adams 12 colleague though I don't even actually know her. I want to THANK her for speaking to 9 News at the Board Meeting this week. It takes someone deeply invested in the success of her students to be such a role model of democracy in action. Here is what she said: "We deserve respect. We need to be valued as teachers, as professionals. And we'
re all here for the kids. And if the board can't be here for the them, we need to let them know that WE have to be here for the kids."
From descriptions of the board meeting from others in attendance, it seems as if the teachers/union representatives exhibited a high level of professionalism. I am especially saddened to hear that one board member I have always respected grinned when a parent went off the handle yelling at a teacher. It's sad for our kids that the adults at the helm don't appear to share the same basic courtesy of respect that my first graders so readily demonstrate by not allowing yelling as the mode of communication.
A sign held by a high school boy read, "If you don't respect my teachers then you don't respect me." THANK YOU for being the next generation and when you are old enough I will certainly vote for YOU if you ever run for the Board of Education or any other public office.
Lastly, THANK you parents and students who I have had the pleasure to work with over the past 18 years. YOU are what is important! And for this reason, I continue to work one or two additional jobs along with teaching so that I can continue to pay my mortgage AND educate the next generation!
Sincerely,
Terri