AURORA, Colo. — A group of Aurora Public Schools (APS) classified employees and education support professionals (ESPs) said they plan to submit a petition to the school board to demand a union at Tuesday night's APS board meeting.
Classified ESPs include employees like special needs paraeducators, bus drivers, nutrition workers and custodians. The group said 60% of classified employees in the district signed a union petition last semester. Now, the next step is to submit the petition to the Aurora Public Schools Board of Education to demand the right to a union.
"We are struggling. We need better pay. We need better conditions. If we're struggling, if we're stressed, like, how are we able to support the kids? You know? How are we able to help them if we can't help ourselves?" Joseph Pescador, a paraeducator at Aurora Highlands P-8, said.
Pescador said employees want better pay, more support, and more manageable classroom sizes. He said he has been working in his position for seven years, but has considered leaving the profession because of the pay.
"Now with just more stress, especially with like job security and just cost of living, people are worried and struggling. And I think now people are more motivated to, you know... fight for better conditions," Pescador said.
According to the Aurora Public Schools website, the hourly pay range for classified employees during the 2025-2026 school year is between $16.19 and $55.77. The pay depends on position and experience.
Salaries for licensed employees during the 2025-2026 school year range from $60,593 to $125,245, according to the district's website. When converted to an hourly wage using 52 weeks with 40 hours worked per week, the pay range for licensed employees is around $29.13 to $60.21.
Denver7 reached out to Aurora Public Schools multiple times about the efforts to unionize and asked for a statement from the school board about the petition. We have not heard back at the time of posting this article. We will update this web story with any response received.
Tuesday's school board meeting is at 6 p.m. at the Aurora Public Schools Professional Learning and Conference Center at 15771 E. 1st Ave., Aurora, CO 80011.
