Aspen School District enters contract negotiations with teachers union

The Aspen Education Association teachers union is negotiating a new collective bargaining agreement with the Aspen School District.

The teachers union’s last collective bargaining agreement, which was ratified in June 2022, is set to end June 30, 2024. The union had to notify the district by April 1 if it intended to negotiate a new agreement, according to the 2022 agreement. The Aspen Education Association did so, and is now undergoing negotiations, Aspen Education Association President Stephanie Nixon confirmed in an email to the Aspen Times.

In 2022, the ratified contract introduced new salary schedules and implemented pay equity for staff. It included four new salary schedules with the following starting pay: one for certified staff like teachers at $50,000, one for support services providers at $54,000, one for salaried education support professionals at $40,000 (with most starting salaries for positions on that scale starting at $55,000 or $57,000), and one for hourly education support professionals at $21 per hour.

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The agreement also included a detailed supplemental pay schedule of stipends and additional compensation staff can earn for certifications and extra service to the district, like mentoring another teacher or coaching a school team.

The Aspen Education Association negotiates salaries and benefits with the district every year, Nixon said in an email. The entry level salary schedule and benefits are subject to negotiations on a yearly basis, according to the 2022 contract. Negotiations can include starting salary, teacher and special service provider percentage raises, education support provider percentage raises, and more.

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This year’s negotiations are focusing on the collective bargaining agreement as a whole, including salary increases as funding projections come in from the state, and health insurance plans, according to an update from the AEA on the school board’s website. 

Nixon will present an update on negotiations to the school board in its regular meeting Wednesday, April 17, according to the board’s full planning agenda.