Day 4: District 60 teacher strike continues, 3rd offer made
UPDATE 5 p.m.: Pueblo District 60 made a third offer Thursday afternoon to the Pueblo Education Association to end the ongoing teacher strike.
The details of the offer weren’t made available, but Superintendent Charlotte Macaluso said she would try to get us information soon.
We’re working on getting reaction from the Pueblo Education Association.
Earlier
Thursday marks the fourth day of the Pueblo District 60 teacher strike. According to a Facebook post posted by the Pueblo Education Association, the district administration says it won’t be able to get a team of negotiators together until Saturday.
The picketers for the strike will start near their schools Thursday morning and then will make their way to the District 60 Administration Building by noon.
The district has offered a two-percent stipend, which is roughly a one-time bonus of $1,000 for all teachers. What teachers want instead is a two-percent cost-of-living adjustment, similar to a yearly bonus.
The Director of Communications for the Pueblo City Schools, Dalton Sprouse, sent out an email Wednesday night reiterating that schools must provide notification to parents and families moving forward about any opening each day.
The following schools/programs that are open:
Centennial, Central, East and South high schools will be open to APEX students only. APEX is an online program.
Haaff Elementary School is open to all students. An employee from Haaff Elementary told KRDO that teachers, ESL staff and substitute teachers are overseeing the kids on a modified schedule.
All pre-school programs in the district, with the exception of Bessemer and Franklin, will reopen. In addition, Paragon High School, a school with mostly online curriculum, will reopen as well.
Each school will provide daily communications to families regarding the possibility of additional school openings moving forward, as well as any information regarding the status of field trips or evening events.
Pueblo City Schools will continue to provide free lunches for students from 11:30 – 12:30 at the following locations:
Baca Elementary School
Belmont Elementary School
Beulah Heights Elementary School
Minnequa Elementary School
Morton Elementary School
Rawlings Library
Pete Jimenez Park
Risley International Academy of Innovation
“We’re not asking for much, we just want a livable wage, I just want to pay my bills,” said Leonardo Gomes, a teacher protesting in the strike.
But the district made it clear it doesn’t have the money to offer all teachers a yearly raise.
“We’d have to utilize reserves to pay for those increases, and that’s simply not a funding formula that we can practice,” said Sprouse.
The district also included a $50 contribution for insurance premiums and a 2.25-percent cost-of-living adjustment. But union members argue that won’t solve their current problem.
“We don’t want to play that game,” Ethredge said. “We want to resolve this contract … and then move on to next year’s.”
If the protest does go on for more than a week, it’s likely grades 6-12 in some schools will be required to extend classes into the summer.
