Denver, CO

Denver Public Schools, teachers union reach tentative agreement on contract

Published

10 months ago

June 24, 2025

Denver Public Schools, teachers union reach tentative agreement on contract

DENVER — After months of negotiations, including a marathon 18-hour session that ended Tuesday morning, Denver Public Schools (DPS) and the union that represents more than 4,000 educators reached a tentative agreement on a new contract.

The agreement came with the help of mediators, after the school district declared an impasse in negotiations in May.

If approved, the contract will provide Denver teachers with a $1,000 annual cost-of-living increase, a one-time $1,000 bonus for the current year, and additional percentage raises based on experience and education.

One of the Denver Classroom Teachers Association’s (DCTA) goals was to raise the starting salary for teachers. New DPS teachers will now earn $57,666, still below what several neighboring districts pay new teachers. The top salary for experienced DPS educators with their doctorate in the 2025-2026 school year will be $124,233.

Check out the graph below to view starting salaries for teachers around the Denver metro in 2025

The two sides also signed a Memorandum of Understanding that if DPS seeks a mill levy override from voters in 2025 or 2026, then teacher pay will be discussed as a potential use for that money.

Jennifer Holtzmann, a special education teacher who attended the bargaining sessions, said while pay is still a concern for all Colorado teachers, she was encouraged by other provisions in the agreement surrounding class sizes and workloads. The agreement also includes language that will allow teachers to use time off for mental health.

“Just the acknowledgment that teachers experience burnout and might just need to take a day or half day, even,” Holtzmann said.

DPS agreed to work towards reducing elementary school class sizes, setting a cap of no more than 30 students in K-5 classrooms starting in 2026, down from the current cap of 35.

DCTA President Rob Gould said the union will post specific details on the contract “wins” in the coming days so that teachers are ready to vote on it when they return to work in August. He said the salary increases will cost the district approximately $24 million in the first year and $18 million in years two and three.

DPS issued a news release on the tentative agreement, with a statement from DPS Superintendent Dr. Alex Marrero.

“We are proud to have reached what we feel is a fair and forward-looking agreement that honors the critical work our teachers do every day,” Marrero said.

If the agreement is ratified by both the DCTA and the DPS Board of Education, it will go into effect beginning September 1, 2025, and remain in place through August 31, 2028.

Denver Public Schools, teachers union reach tentative agreement on contract

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Denver, CO

Monday's Mets-Rockies game time changed to 3:40 p.m. MT

Published

12 hours ago

May 4, 2026

Press Room

Monday's Mets-Rockies game time changed to 3:40 p.m. MT

DENVER — The Rockies vs. Mets game originally scheduled for Monday, May 4, 2026 at 6:40 p.m. MT/8:40 p.m. ET will be played on Monday, May 4, 2026 at 3:40 p.m. MT/5:40 p.m. ET due to expected inclement weather.
Tickets from the May 4, 2026 game are valid for the

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Denver, CO

Legacy score twice in waning minutes, beat fellow expansion side Denver for first win in franchise history

Published

24 hours ago

May 4, 2026

Press Room

Legacy score twice in waning minutes, beat fellow expansion side Denver for first win in franchise history

Boston Legacy FC

Legacy fans were treated to a thrilling comeback in the team’s first win.

Nichelle Prince and Sammy Smith celebrate a Legacy FC goal in the team’s comeback win over Denver on Sunday. Matthew J Lee/Globe staff

By Emma Healy

May 4, 2026 | 7:24 AM

2 minutes to read

FOXBOROUGH — The Denver Summit began their inaugural season at a sprint, leaving Boston Legacy FC a few steps behind. On Sunday, Boston caught up.

Aïssata Traoré scored just before the start of second-half stoppage time and Bianca St-Georges scored four minutes into it, providing the Legacy their first victory in their inaugural season, 3-2, over Denver in front of an announced 12,524 fans at Gillette Stadium.

The Summit took an early lead before Nichelle Prince tied the game at one just before halftime. Natasha Flint stole the lead back for Denver in the 77th minute, but Traoré — who came on as a substitute in the 71st — found the equalizer in the final minute of regulation and St-Georges scored the winner.

Announced as the NWSL’s 15th club in 2023, the Legacy had a runway nearly two years longer than the Summit, who were officially announced as the 16th in January 2025 and kicked off this year.

The two expansion teams entered Sunday in vastly different positions. The Summit (1-3-3, 6 points) were 12th, four spots ahead of Boston (1-5-1, 4 points) at the bottom of the table.

Both teams made headlines with their home openers. The Legacy’s inaugural game on March 14 drew 30,207 fans to Gillette Stadium, a record for an inaugural home NWSL match until Denver more than doubled that number with 63,004 at Empower Field at Mile High two weeks later.

The Legacy were coming off their most promising performance yet, a 2-2 draw with North Carolina on Wednesday in which they scored two first-half goals before letting their lead slip late.

Boston controlled the pace Saturday for much of the first half, recording five shots on goal to Denver’s one, and were inches away from three early goals — one shot rang off the post, one off the crossbar, and one was blocked by a defender on the goal line.

Despite Boston’s offensive pressure, Denver struck first in the 18th minute. Yazmeen Ryan took on St-Georges one-on-one just outside the 18-yard box and ripped a shot on net. Legacy goalkeeper Casey Murphy got her fingertips on the ball, but punched it just inside the post as the Summit took a 1-0 lead.

Prince evened the score just before halftime, heading home a bouncing ball off of Alba Caño’s corner kick in the 44th minute. The goal was Prince’s first with the Legacy, though she assisted on both of Boston’s tallies on Wednesday — the first player in NWSL history to record two assists in the first 15 minutes of a match.

Denver’s second-half chances were few and far between, but Flint capitalized on a rare opportunity inside the box to beat Murphy and take a 2-1 lead in the 77th minute.

Traoré’s second goal of the season tied the game at 2. The Malian forward collected a pass in the box and fired a volley around Denver’s Eva Gaetino in the final minute of regulation.