D60 teachers still plan to strike, another Pueblo school misses class for call outs

Carlile Elementary has been added to long list of Pueblo schools who have missed class because of teacher “call outs.”

The school’s website had this announcement, “We regret to inform you that it is necessary to cancel classes at Carlile Elementary School tomorrow, Monday, April 30, 2018. This decision is necessary due to excessively high number of teacher call offs reported in the system.”

Carlile’s schoolyard sat empty on Monday, but if that wasn’t enough, a piece of paper attached to a chair sat outside the front door reading, “no school today.”

Just last week hundreds of teachers marched around the D60 school board meeting hoping they’d catch their attention. There’s been an ongoing disagreement on teacher salaries between the board and union. Two weeks ago, the Pueblo Education Association filed to go on strike, but they legally have to wait 20 days before taking action.

As on Monday, the state only has a week left. Bret Webster, Vice President of the Pueblo Education Association said, “we’re still scheduled for May 7th as the day we’ve chosen.”

If the state does intervene Webster says, “they bring the two parties together and they help try to bring them close enough to where they can come to some sort of solution, conclusion or in our case settle the contract.”

If the strike does happen, hundreds of teachers won’t show up for class, but we don’t know what that means for students or if the district has a plan set in the place.

Dalton Sprouse, communication director for D60 said, it’s not in their practice to comment on hypotheticals.

Parents also don’t know what’s next, but one we spoke to said he’s ready just in case, “if they’re not in school you know we’re required to take of them for the summer anyway, that’s our job.”

With no real answers, we’re not sure what schools will look like next Monday.