After weeks of discussion District 11 and teachers union reach a tentative agreement

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KKTV) - A union member 11 News spoke with says they will continue to work hard for the teachers in the district and while some things like the starting pay bumps are nice, they would like to see more from the district.

“I think the agreement if I am being honest is the bare minimums,” District 11 teacher Naomi Lopez said. “The bare minimum is that all teachers deserve a living wage. Teachers across this state deserve higher pay.”

In early May, several D11 teachers and staff called out due to negotiations about next year’s contracts causing the district to cancel classes at Doherty high school.

The district now says a tentative agreement has been reached. One of the agreements is a starting teacher salary of $50,000, a 20% increase from before.

“I think it is important for us to attract new teachers, but I think it was a little short-sided for retaining teachers across the board,” Lopez said.

The district today says it will be giving out raises across the board for all teachers with an average net income increase of sixteen percent.

The district says in part quote:

“These substantial raises not only serve as a testament to our appreciation for the hard work and dedication demonstrated by our teachers but also serve to attract and retain talented staff in our district.”

This agreement is waiting for ratification which the district says is expected later this month or early June.

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