October 14, 2022
Over many years DPS has made earnest efforts to collect workload data for the purpose of determining staffing (FTE) for educators and special education paraprofessionals. However, educators are consistently working well over their contracted hours to meet district expectations. Special education teachers and specialized service providers are forced to make the choice between working excessive hours and sacrificing health and time with family; ‘failing’ district expectations; or leaving our district. Our excessive and unsustainable workloads have been an issue for many years, even before the shortage of special educators and specialized service providers. The district can’t get a realistic picture of what is truly achievable within the current contracted FTE if we continue to work beyond our hours. With the district’s commitment to the workload model in our recent agreement, it is our responsibility to demonstrate what our true workload is.
As a collective group, we must shift our narrative from one of powerless educators exhausted from human giver syndrome and compassion fatigue to one of active, empowered educators who can sustain this work because we set healthy professional boundaries. Our students won’t benefit from our services if no one is left to do this important work. Cultural shift happens from the ground up. We have the power to do something now. If we all work together, change will start to happen so that our professions can be sustainable in the future.
Every email you respond to outside of contract hours, every time you work through your lunch, complete paperwork at home, or give up your planning time to support a student reinforces that unsustainable practices are acceptable when in fact, they are inequitable and perpetuate unrealistic expectations from our leadership.
Our collective bargaining agreement guarantees a 40-hour work week. What would it look like if we worked within those constraints? Would educator wellbeing be enhanced? Would we meet compliance and service demands? We are being asked to solve problems that are not our problems to solve. Systemic change and awareness are needed. How can we address this issue? One way to do this is to highlight the amount of work we are being asked to do outside contract hours.
The language of our Collective Bargaining Agreement is the responsibility of educators and administrators to uphold. Work to rule is the concept that we only work within our contract hours, with the goal of bringing awareness to the workload problem.
In order to work to the best of our abilities and work within contractual agreements, the following articles from the DPS-DCTA Collective Bargaining Tentative Agreement are taken into account:
What can you do to be the change?
- Join us! Sign this commitment to work no more than 40 hours per week (prorated by FTE) for the month of November.
- To support you in your conversations with your supervisor, the CEA Workload Calculator is available to help you demonstrate how much time is needed to complete all of your workload responsibilities.
- Review the DPS-DCTA Collective Bargaining Agreement articles linked above.
- Inform your supervisor of your intent to work to rule for the month of November and discuss which workload priorities can be completed within your contract hours.
- Attend the ACCESS Solidarity Hour on Tuesday, October 25th 6:00pm-7:30pm (virtual).
Register here to be added to the invitation.
- Join the ACCESS Caucus to get additional support with professional empowerment using contract language.
Once this letter obtains 500 signatures, we will share it and the hundreds of signatures with DPS Board of Directors and district administrators, including the Superintendent and Executive Director of Exceptional Student Services. Signatures will remain confidential until we meet this benchmark.
Questions? Email us at denver.ssp.sped@gmail.com!
Yours in solidarity,
The Organizing Leaders of the ACCESS Caucus
https://www.accessdenver.org/advocacy
