What’s next for teachers in District 11

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) - A 50-year-long contract between Colorado Springs District 11 and the Colorado Springs Education Association (CSEA) will expire on June 30, 2025. The Colorado Springs District 11 Board of Education voted to end the agreement on Dec 11, 2024.

The district says teacher's pay won't change, their benefits aren't changing, nor will their retirement or leave time. Vice President of the District 11 Board, Jill Haffley, also added that teachers will still have duty-free lunches.

"Teacher's rights aren't going away. There are state and federal laws that the district has to own up to, and we absolutely would do that regardless. But we are at the starting point, of a plan now for a new employee handbook, which is what all the other school districts in Colorado Springs and El Paso County are under. And so we want to make sure again, that all teachers have a voice," said District 11 Board Vice President, Jill Haffley.

Haffley says the previous agreement only allowed around 60 percent of teachers, those in the union, to have a voice. She says the other 40 percent who did not join the union were left without a voice. She claims not renewing the contract gives all teachers the same platform to voice concerns.

"We want everybody to have a voice. This is really about a contract. It's not about taking away from teachers. It's not even really about the union. It's about a contract. And the contract doesn't work for the district anymore," said Haffley.

The union, CSEA, says they are disappointed in the district's decision to end their agreement. Union President Kevin Coughlin says teachers will lose their retirement, planning time, academic freedom and bargaining. The district refutes these claims.

"The state gives guidelines around certain things like evaluation, but really, workplace rights are up to individual districts. And the fact that we were unique or we are unique in El Paso County to have this agreement and our ability to, collaboratively decide what's important for teachers, is something that we value. And so the fact that the Board of Education voted that down is sad, frustrating," expressed Coughlin.

However, interest-based bargaining will no longer happen between the union and the district alone. Instead, the district says there will be a seat at the table for all employees, union or not, for a conversation, similar to how other organizations in the district operate.

"People believe that the teachers' input did not adequately get discussed. And the collaboration piece of our bargaining was taken away from us," shared Coughlin.

When asked about the possibility of teachers striking, Haffley said the district is prepared. She says teachers have every right to strike and she wouldn't stand in the way of them doing that but Haffley wonders why they would want to strike to begin with.

"My question to teachers would be, really, what do you have to strike about here? You're making more money than you have been. Your benefits are better. Nobody's messing with anything. Again, retirement? leave plan time, any of that. So what is really at play here? Why the strike? Ultimately, we we want our kids to, have a high-quality education. We're all about that. And so we don't want the kids to suffer. And I fear that if that happens, the kids might suffer," pleaded Haffley.

She says their board would step up to make sure students don't miss a beat in their education.

"What we have tasked the superintendent to do is to raise the amount of money that our guest teachers will be making and to entice them into the classroom. In addition to that, I'm a certified teacher. I know there are other people on the board who are certified teachers, and their central administration staff are all willing to step in wherever we need to. We want to be leaders that serve. So we're not going to ask other people to do things we're not fully prepared to do ourselves," said Haffley.

Haffley assured students would not be put into bigger classroom sizes if teachers were to walk off the job.

"They just ended this contract. I mean, I think there are a lot of people that have anxiety and worry right now with what's going to happen. I think it's awfully early to be, quick to jump to any conclusions. we do still have our contracts until June," said Coughlin, "I understand the fear and the worry that people have, and I can't speak to what the members are going to do at this moment. There's a lot of people that are interested in doing a lot of different things."

RELATED: D11 Master Agreement meeting to decide consequential contract for teachers Wednesday

The Colorado Springs District 11 Board of Education published this letter on their website following the meeting.

"I hope that they rely more on our actions more than they rely on a social media post or a statement that somebody has made, that people do their due diligence and if they have questions or something doesn't sound right, that they reach out and ask, we're happy to answer any questions," assured Haffley.

She says the community can contact the board here.

As for the handbook, Haffley says there's more to come.

"The more we get into it that that information will be disseminated. And it's my understanding it'll be disseminated at board meetings. So that's coming," stated Haffley.

However, the CSEA is unsure of what the handbook holds for the pro-union teachers.

"I don't know why we would need a handbook with all of those things in it when we already have a master agreement with all those things in it. So, it will be interesting to see how that plays out. Of course, we are willing to give what feedback we can, but how that's held up in the long run is really not in our control," said Coughlin.

The Colorado Springs District 11 superintendent also shared a statement regarding the Board of Education’s decision and its implications for the district.

As Superintendent of THE Colorado Springs School District 11, my focus remains clear: The #1 way to student achievement is access to high-quality instruction.

Over the past two and a half years, we’ve made significant progress—reducing the number of schools on the state watchlist from 15 to 3, improving district-wide performance, and reversing a decade of declining enrollment. These successes are a direct result of the dedication and excellence of all our teachers and staff. At the same time, we know there is important work ahead to ensure all students meet or exceed grade-level standards.

Moving forward, the Board-directed employee handbook will provide the support, resources, and protections our staff need to succeed. Together, we will build on our positive momentum and remain singularly focused on student outcomes, preparing every graduate with the skills and knowledge they need to succeed in their future endeavors.

Michael Gaal, District 11 Superintendent

More information on how this will impact teachers of D11 can be found here.