Tentative agreement overwhelmingly approved

For immediate release

We are pleased to announce that the unofficial results of our ratification vote show our membership has overwhelmingly approved the new negotiated agreement which will be in effect from August 2021 to 2024. Hundreds of frontline Jeffco educators worked together on their personal time to support the bargaining process and continue to improve learning and working conditions across the district. Students deserve the best possible educators and learning conditions and we employ every tool we have, including collectively bargaining, to support that goal.

JCEA members worked diligently on language proposals to support their professions and our students. They successfully added five new articles to our collective bargaining agreement to support Equity within Jeffco public schools, Art, Music, and Physical Education instruction, Registered School Nurses, Special Education, and standards for remote and virtual learning.

The average raise for members of the JCEA bargaining unit (all current non-administrative licensed Jeffco employees) will be 8.7%. Educators will receive two steps which are 2.85% each on average. The COLA (cost of living adjustment) was 3%, which all adds up to an average increase of 8.7%.

JCEA and JESPA members set the standard for employee compensation at the bargaining table. Generally, the District grants all employees equivalent raises to what we have bargained. This year Jeffco administrators will receive an 8.7% increase added to their base salary.

After a difficult year of education during a pandemic, with no ongoing raise for 2020-2021, this is a well deserved increase. However, Jeffco Public Schools is still struggling to be competitive in metro Denver. Furthermore, Colorado still ranks in the bottom five states for public education funding. Salaries for educators are similarly low.

We strongly believe in our collective work to continue to improve Colorado’s K-12 funding structures, resources and compensation for all educators statewide. This year’s changes are a step in the right direction, but we still have work to do both in Jeffco and in Colorado.

Every Jeffco child, regardless of race, place, or economic status deserves access to a fully funded, high quality public education and we will continue to bring together educators, parents and community members to make that vision a reality. We look forward to seeing our students in the fall and hope for a great school year ahead.