About a dozen people attended Tuesday night’s Aurora Public Schools Board of Education meeting to talk about needs for classified workers, with some repeating demands for a union and others seemingly satisfied with work the district is doing for them.

Classified workers include special needs paraeducators, bus drivers, nutrition workers, custodians and other school district employees.

On Aug. 19, classified staff submitted a petition to the board asking for a pathway for collective bargaining rights.

On Oct. 7, the district sent a letter to all classified employees acknowledging the challenges such employees face and saying district leaders have been “reflecting” on how to move forward.

The Board of Education met in executive session on Oct. 1 and directed the superintendent and district leadership to deliver a comprehensive report no later than Dec. 15 to include as follows, according to the letter.

• An evaluation of the current state of the Classified Employee Council
• Practical ways the district can further support and strengthen classified employee voice through the CEC
• Analysis of the impact of unionization on classified staff and the district

The board will review the report in December and “use the information to guide next steps,” the letter said.

The Classified Employee Council has existed for decades in APS and meets during working hours, according to a spokesperson for the Colorado Education Association.

The council does not have the power to negotiate with the district, just to make recommendations to the superintendent on policy related to classified staff.

Last year, the CEC brought forward a wage increase proposal to the board and no follow-up was made.

“It was ignored entirely,” the spokesperson said. “This is one example of the difference between a council that answers to the superintendent and a union that answers only to its members and has the right to collectively bargain legally binding contracts.”

A news release sent out by the Colorado Education Association Monday said the board has “failed to take any meaningful action and has continued to delay consideration of their petition.”

Tuesday night’s public comment turnout came after several meetings in which classified staff asked for union rights and the letter sent to all classified staff.

Several people who spoke in Tuesday’s meeting referenced the letter, with some referring to it as “frustrating” and others seemingly appreciative of the district’s willingness to work with them.

Joseph Pescador has worked in the district for seven years and said the letter from the district felt like a “band aid on a gaping wound.”

“I don’t feel represented by the CEC,” Pescador said, adding that he believes there are “barriers” to classified staff members attending meetings — specifically the meetings being held during the day when staff are working.

Another speaker Tuesday said they had to get permission from their boss to attend a CEC meeting during the work day.

APS has had a union for licensed teachers for more than 40 years, Pescador added, saying that the district doesn’t need a study into the effectiveness of unions because leaders already know the teachers’ union has positive outcomes such as staff retention.

Tiffany Barker, a classroom paraeducator in APS for seven years, said a study won’t solve issues faced by classified staff members — such as low wages and mistreatment.

“These issues will not be solved with a study. They won’t be solved with a stronger CEC,” Barker said. “They’ll only be solved when classified staff have room to form our union and collectively bargain with the district.”

Several people who spoke to the board Tuesday night, however, brought up issues they’ve had with the union movement and expressed support for strengthening the CEC before moving forward with creating a union.

Heather Morgan said some of the people fighting for a union have a “shifted position” about the union, saying the initial approach in demanding a union was “not productive.”

“After conversations, we realized the board has always been willing to listen and hear our concerns,” Morgan said. “We as a staff have not consistently shown up to advocate for ourselves. Each group shares some responsibility, and that recognition can move us forward.”

She said it’s best to pause on unionizing and instead work together to strengthen the CEC.

“We don’t believe we should pay union dues when we already have a system in place: one that is free and capable of improvement through collaboration,” she said. “It’s going to take the board, the CEC and all classified staff together to make this happen.”

Brandy Edmonds and another speaker said the movement to create a union has, at times, been personally challenging. She has experienced “unprofessional behavior” in the movement, she said.

“I have supported and still support the movement to unionize,” Edmonds said. “Before moving forward with unionizing, now is a good moment to pause and refocus … we have an opportunity to rebuild and reimagine what the CEC can be.”

An Aurora Public Schools spokesperson did not respond to a Denver Gazette request for comment on Tuesday night’s public comment period.