Dozens of educators picketed outside each of Sheridan School District 2’s five schools Wednesday morning as the first education strike in the state since 2019 began bright and early.
Educators in the small school district just southwest of downtown Denver have been working without a union contract since the district let it lapse in August last year. They’re fighting for better pay, improved working conditions, clear communication and recognition of all educators as staff, including bus drivers, custodians, food service workers and paraprofessionals.
Sheridan Educators Association President Kate Biester said she hopes the school board will open negotiations before the week’s end, but teachers will continue to strike until the district and the union can both converse about grievances.
“I would love them to make the right decision and to come back to the table,” she said. “When they canceled the schools for three full days in a row without even giving an off ramp, it kind of worried me, but I'm going to continue to be optimistic that the school district will call me and that we can find a way to work together.”
The school board initially told parents schools would stay open despite the strike, but reversed course Tuesday morning, informing them that all five schools in the district would be closed for in-person learning from Wednesday to Friday.
Things then escalated at an emergency school board meeting Tuesday evening when educators were initially blocked from entering the school. Staff were eventually allowed to attend the public portion of the meeting, but were asked to leave during a closed executive session.
Julie Blakely, a mom whose children are enrolled both at Alice Terry Elementary and at Sheridan High School, joined educators at the picket line Wednesday. She cited shifting schedules, limited communication, and what she described as a negative impact on her children for her involvement with the strike.
“I really noticed a change at the beginning of the school year,” she said. “They’ve taken away teacher work days, they’ve changed fall break, there are fewer early release days. It doesn’t make any sense. We need to stand up with our teachers and our staff. As parents, we need to be behind them 100% because they need the support.”
The last time Colorado saw an educator strike was more than five years ago when Denver Public Schools educators walked out for three days over pay structure and funding. It marked the first strike for that district in 25 years.
As a result, the district raised base salaries across the board, reduced reliance on bonuses and made pay more predictable and transparent.
“It’s a victory for Denver’s kids, and it’s a victory for our parents and our teachers, and we’re excited that we’ll be able to get back to work,” said DCTA lead negotiator Rob Gould when the new agreement was signed.
That same year, educators in Park County School District RE-2 walked out for eight days. They ultimately returned to classrooms without securing a pay increase, despite being among the lowest-paid teachers in the state.
In 2018, Pueblo School District 60 educators hosted a five day strike over cost-of-living raises. Their resulting pay increase was small at roughly 2-3% but did make additional steps in improving salary competitiveness.
These three strikes followed national teacher walkouts in the “Red for Ed” movement where educators demanded better pay, more school funding and better conditions for students.
In Colorado, it brought thousands of educators to the Capitol and helped elevate school funding as a central political issue, resulting in more K-12 school funding and some legislative changes.
While it didn't deliver a sweeping fix, it did reshape the conversation around funding for schools and teacher pay, setting the stage for strikes like the ones in Denver and South Park.
Now, more than five years later, Sheridan educators are putting that momentum to the test.
“These kids deserve better, these teachers deserve better, and I really hope we can get the support,” said Sheridan career and technical education teacher Allison Rodriguez.
CPR News reached out to Sheridan School District for an updated statement as the strike began, but had not heard back by the time of publication.
