Members of the Sheridan Educators Association entered the second week of their strike across Sheridan School District in the south Denver metro area on April 7. More than 100 people joined the picket line Monday morning, including community members and educators from other districts, as they called for district leadership to reinstate Sheridan educators’ expired contract, recognize classified staff unions, and end what they describe as retaliation and harmful anti-union policies.
SEA President and social studies teacher Kate Biester said, “Sheridan educators went to the bargaining table last Saturday at the district’s request, and we were again disappointed by their unwillingness to negotiate. The total lack of movement on our demands, along with the fact that the Board will not even meet with us at their own meeting, shows that they are not taking this situation seriously. Sheridan educators are proud to stand together on strike and with our community until the district is ready to do the right thing for our schools.”
The ongoing dispute centers around several key issues. Educators in Sheridan schools have been working without a contract since last August when the district allowed their agreement to lapse for the first time in five decades. In addition to contract concerns, some teachers say they have faced disciplinary action or layoffs without notice after raising issues about safety within schools.
The current strike follows months of unsuccessful attempts by SEA to negotiate with Sheridan School District leaders. According to SEA representatives, there has been a pattern of what they call bad faith actions by district officials over the past year.
As negotiations remain stalled and no resolution has been reached yet, striking teachers say they plan to continue picketing until their demands are addressed.
