Mount Virtus

"Happy to come back to Michigan, but I miss the mountains!"

Ben on Social Media

  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Home
  • About Ben
  • Mount Virtus?
  • Writer / Editor For Hire
  • What I’m Thankful For
  • Colorado Ballot Reviews
    • Colorado Ballot 2008
    • Colorado Ballot 2010
    • Colorado Ballot 2012
  • Archives
  • Passion and Purpose:
    The Rise & Fall of Al Gansee
  • Mary and Jacob: From the Forgotten Dust
Home Colorado Politics Tables May Be Turning Against Denver Teachers Union in ProComp Faceoff

8/11/2008 By Ben Leave a Comment

Tables May Be Turning Against Denver Teachers Union in ProComp Faceoff

Negotiations between Denver Public Schools (DPS) and Denver Classroom Teachers Association (DCTA) are as heated as ever, with the performance pay plan known as ProComp still at stake:

Denver Public Schools officials want an overhaul they say will better attract and retain talented teachers.

The union says the current plan is fair to all teachers but that the DPS proposal would favor beginning teachers over veterans.

Three days of mediation are set to begin Aug. 20, and the union has told teachers to prepare for a strike if no agreement is reached.

In essence, the district’s proposal is too radical for the union, which thrives on its perceived role as a defender of teacher security and must appease many of the more veteran teachers who won’t be eligible for pay increases as large as other teachers. This is the basic problem with DCTA’s leadership. Not that DPS is being stingy in how much it’s offering to teachers as a whole, but the possibility exists for a great disparity in how much individual teachers gain based on a combination of their skills, performance levels, job descriptions, and willingness to serve in challenging school environments.

In DCTA’s book, equal outcomes trump a chance at pursuing excellence:

Union president Kim Ursetta said the district’s plan amounts to “a quota system” because it does not give the same opportunity for every teacher.

Clever and misleading labels aside (“quota system”?) – Not every teacher has the same opportunity to take on additional responsibilities. Not every teacher has the same opportunity to contribute to increases in student achievement. Not every teacher’s set of skills have the same scarcity or are in the same demand by the district and the parents and taxpayers it represents. You can’t blame DCTA leaders for doing their job, though.

But some teachers are worried so much about their union representatives’ approach and the threat of a possible strike (which could even disrupt the Democratic National Convention here in a couple weeks) that they’ve created Denver Teachers for Change, which includes an online petition already signed by more than 250 Denver teachers. The petition expresses support for the principles espoused in DPS’ proposal to make a more progressive ProComp.

Reading between the lines of DCTA president Kim Ursetta’s recently posted letter, it would appear that the union is losing the public argument and whatever position of strength it had. Read the first sentence carefully:

The Denver Classroom Teachers Association finds it outrageous that Superintendent Michael Bennett [sic] continues to try to directly negotiate with teachers and try to sell the Denver Public Schools’ bargaining positions to the public.

What gall to write as if these tactics are unknown to the union, and what spin to write as if these tactics are somehow illicit or unfair to anyone outside DCTA leadership. Wow. As of today, I am more hopeful that this showdown will not carry ProComp down the path to an untimely demise, but that DPS and Michael Bennet and education reform success just might prevail.

Filed Under: Colorado Politics, Education, General, Labor, National Politics Tagged With: bargaining contract, Democratic National Convention, Denver Classroom Teachers Association, Denver Post, Denver ProComp, Denver Public Schools, Denver Teachers for Change, EdNews Colorado, education reform, equal outcomes, mediation, Michael Bennet, negotiations, online petition, progressive, proposals, radical, school district, tactics, teachers, teachers strike, teachers union, union leadership, union representatives

Leave a Reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Inside

  • About Ben
  • Archives
  • Colorado Ballot Reviews
    • Colorado Ballot 2008
    • Colorado Ballot 2010
    • Colorado Ballot 2012
    • Colorado Ballot 2014
  • Mary and Jacob: From the Forgotten Dust
  • Mount Virtus?
  • Passion and Purpose:
    The Rise & Fall of Al Gansee
  • What I’m Thankful For
  • Writer / Editor For Hire

About Me

Ben DeGrow
Grateful and growing Christian, devoted husband and father of 3, public policy analyst, returned to Michigan by way of Colorado, conservative writer, lifelong learner, Detroit Tigers fan.

Recent Posts

  • AI-Enhanced Cyberbullying: The Dark Side of Teen Innovation
  • My Baker’s Dozen of Top 2023 Reads
  • Common Learning Disabilities in Children
  • Tips to Teach Kids to Set and Achieve Goals
  • The Christmas Music Countdown You’ve Been Looking For: 2022 Edition

Colorado News

  • Colorado Senate News
  • Complete Colorado
  • Independence Institute
  • Loveland Politics
  • The Colorado Observer

National News and Politics

  • Drudge Report
  • Hot Air
  • National Review
  • Politico
  • Real Clear Politics
  • Reason
  • The Washington Times
  • TownHall
  • Wall Street Journal
  • Weekly Standard
  • World Magazine

Blogs Extraordinaire

  • American Thinker
  • David Harsanyi’s Blog
  • E!! The True Conservative Story
  • EIA Intercepts
  • Evangelical Outpost
  • Hugh Hewitt
  • Instapundit
  • LaShawn Barber
  • Lileks
  • Little Green Footballs
  • Michelle Malkin
  • NRO's The Corner
  • Power Line
  • Red State

Completing the Blogroll

  • Alarming News
  • Black Five
  • Blogs of War
  • Eduwonk
  • Flypaper
  • Fraters Libertas
  • Historical Conversations
  • IMAO
  • Jay P. Greene
  • Mike Anderson
  • Mullings
  • Professor Bainbridge
  • Right Thinking
  • Right Wing News
  • Right Wing Nuthouse
  • Shot in the Dark
  • Talking Points Memo
  • Virginia Postrel
  • Volokh Conspiracy

Christian Commentary et al.

  • Kevin Pierpont
  • Sharper Iron

Conservative and GOP Sites

  • Backbone America
  • Cal Thomas
  • Colorado Republican Party
  • Colorado Republican Study Committee
  • Dennis Prager
  • Denver Metro Young Republicans
  • Free Republic
  • Heritage Foundation
  • Jefferson County Republican Party
  • Mackinac Center for Public Policy
  • Mark Steyn
  • Michael Medved
  • Rush Limbaugh

Colorado Blogs

  • American Kestrel
  • Bob Agard
  • Colorado Charter Schools
  • Colorado Peak Politics
  • Colorado Pols
  • Colorado Right
  • Conservative Libertarian Outpost
  • Coyote Gulch
  • Ed Is Watching
  • Free Colorado
  • Jeff Crank Show
  • Mark Hillman
  • Patient Power
  • PirateBallerina
  • Protein Wisdom
  • Reagan Girl
  • Rocky Mountain Alliance 1.0 (Archive)
  • Rocky Mountain Alliance 2.0 (Archive)
  • Rossputin
  • Stop the ACLU Blog
  • The Spot (Denver Post)
  • We Stand Firm

Other Sites

  • Technorati
  • Word Press

Rocky Mountain Alliance 2.0

  • Reclaim the Blue
  • The Business Word
  • The Daily Blogster
  • View from a Height

To Contact Me:
bendegrow-at-gmail.com

Copyright © 2025 RSS Feed · WordPress · Log in