'Really Great Opportunity': Parents Bring Children To DPS Bargaining Session
DENVER (CBS4) - After an entire day of negotiations, the Denver Public School District and Denver Classroom Teachers Association continue to have differences on a fair compensation agreement. The two groups met at the Denver Public Library.
Denver families will likely need to decide whether to send their children to school without their teachers for a third day.
Blythe Kingsbury decided her children would not return to the classroom while teachers are on strike.
"I have my three DPS students here with me," she said.
Instead of staying home, Roman, who is in 8th grade, his sister, Lilianne in 5th grade, and their little brother Dax, a 2nd grader, were sitting in on negotiations.
"I know that it is about the teachers because why would I be here?" Dax said.
Parents say the hours of complicated back-and-forth discussions between DPS and teachers doubled as a lesson in civil disobedience.
"I think it's a really great opportunity to support the teachers and learn about what's going on in real life," Lillianne said.
Her mother couldn't agree more.
"It's very important for them to see that we are fighting for things that we believe in," Blythe said.
Amy Carrington, another DPS parent at the public bargaining session Tuesday, brought her kindergartner, Jane, for the same reason.
"We value our teachers. We respect them, and we see them as upstanding citizens in the community. We want her to see that as well," Carrington said.
While parents say each of their children left with a better understanding of what's happening in their schools, their lesson in compromise will have to wait for another day.
DPS and the DCTA continued to working on proposals long after the Denver Public Library was set to close at 8 p.m.
At the time this story was published, an agreement had not been reached. Plans were being made to return to the bargaining table again on Wednesday.
