The Denver teachers union and Denver Public Schools have reached a tentative agreement that raises wages an average of 8.7%, sets starting salary a little above $50,000, and promises teachers more planning time during the work day.

The announcement of a deal comes after a marathon bargaining session between the Denver Classroom Teachers Association and district leaders that started Wednesday morning and concluded Thursday morning.

The previous contract, approved after the 2019 teachers strike, expired Wednesday. Students returned to the classroom Aug. 22.

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Districts around the region have announced substantial pay raises as they battle staffing shortages, stiff competition for employees, and inflation.

Major sticking points in the negotiations included pay and caseloads for special service providers. The teachers union had proposed a 12% cost-of-living increase on top of planned raises teachers get for years of experience and education levels, known as steps and lanes. The district had proposed a 3.5% cost-of-living raise, with the average increase closer to 6.2% accounting for steps and lanes.

According to a district press release, returning teachers will see an average 8.7% increase. The deal will cost the district $40.5 million in teacher compensation in the first year. Starting salary will be set at $50,130 a year. The district plans to put an additional $2.5 million into covering health insurance costs.

“This new deal represents teaching and learning continuity for our teachers and our students, something desperately needed as we all work to help our students get back on track after the pandemic,” Superintendent Alex Marrero said in the press release.

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The district touted the “protected, non-classroom time” in the new contract as the best in the metro area. The new contract promises teachers a 45-minute duty-free lunch every day and at least five hours a week of independent planning time for elementary teachers, with secondary teachers getting an additional 45 minutes on top of that.

Widespread staffing shortages last year meant many teachers lost out on planning time and lunch periods as they covered for missing colleagues. The district did not provide details on how it would protect teachers’ time this school year.

The agreement also calls for the creation of a committee to look at class size concerns and a new platform to discuss racial equity, including efforts to recruit and retain more educators of color. The majority of Denver teachers are white, while the majority of Denver students are not.

Union members and the Denver school board still need to ratify the agreement.

Chalkbeat is a nonprofit news site covering educational change in public schools.

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