Around DPS, teachers work long hours in order to give students the best education they possibly can. Despite their efforts, the average salary of a Denver Public Schools teacher is $65,256 (indeed.com), which is far less than the estimated average needed to raise a family in the state of Colorado which comes in at $132,486. (cnbc.com)
As the cost of living continues to increase across the state, teachers from around the district came to an agreement on how their salaries should be raised in order to reach the soaring prices through union bargaining. Teachers agreed to a raise of 5.2% to offset the cost of living in 2022, to which they have received a 2.06% cost of living raise.
Such a little raise has sparked unrest among teachers, including those who walked out of school in September during contact time after the teaching day had concluded. Teachers feel they have held their end of the bargain, however the district has turned their back on teachers by not providing their side of the agreement. The district, however, has made it clear they have not provided teachers with the raise due to insufficient funding.
Matters have only worsened with a recent raise given to other DPS staff. While the teachers were left without their full raise, DPS Superintendent Alex Marrero was given a bonus preposterous to many. Marrero joined the district in July of 2021, where he was given a starting salary of $276,000. He has since climbed to be the highest paid superintendent in all 178 Colorado school districts with an annual salary of $346,529.
Over the course of his tenure as superintendent, he has received an increase of over $70,000, which trumps the starting salary for DPS teachers at $55,000 annually. To live comfortably in Colorado a single adult needs to make nearly double, with a figure of $103,293 (The Denver Gazette). Marrero’s raise includes a cost of living adjustment as well as a $17,326 he was awarded for “meeting 75% of the goals set for him.” (The Denver Gazette)
Marrero's raise for meeting his goals comes as a surprise, with very little increase in proficiency across all grade levels being demonstrated. On the PSAT, a decrease in proficiency from 33% to 31% was observed in math. (DPS Annual Report 2023-24) The raise also comes as a shock considering only 27% of DPS high school students are proficient in math and only 46% of DPS high school students are proficient in reading.
With insufficient funding and unconvincing results demonstrated in the classroom, it is unclear as to why Dr. Alex Marrero was given a raise while the needs of teachers were neglected.
Students around DPS have responded online, making their feelings clear about the injustices the teachers are enduring. Leaders of various DPS schools expressed their displeasure with the district on the instagram page under the username @students4cola citing the 8.7% cost of living increase in Denver and how students will ultimately suffer if teachers choose to leave the state in hopes for better pay.
The instagram page features many leaders of East including Head Angels Ali Sittiseri and Darius McGregor, Senior class President Phoebe Davis, and others. They have encouraged many to take action by attending rallies, talking to board members, and even speaking to Dr. Marrero himself in order to ensure our teachers receive the raise that they deserve.
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