SHERIDAN, Colo. — After a nearly month-long strike, the Sheridan Educators Association on Friday voted to ratify a contract with the Sheridan School District, creating a pathway for teachers to return to the classroom.
▶️ WATCH: Denver7's Veronica Acosta reports on the tentative agreement
In a statement to Denver7, the Sheridan Educators Association said 100% of its members voted in favor of the agreement which they say "includes important wins on union demands, including a path to classified staff recognition, important changes to the district negotiating policies, and a reinstated contract through December 2026."
READ MORE: Sheridan educators, school district reach tentative agreement
"We just went over the tentative agreement that we reached with the school district last night that really meets a vast majority of our demands," Kate Biester, president of the Sheridan Educators Association, said.
"We believe that this agreement secures futures for our children that are better be in the classroom and also beyond it," Biester told Denver7's Veronica Acosta Friday morning.
READ MORE: Sheridan School District employees could lose health insurance
Despite reaching and ratifying the agreement, tensions flared Friday among community members who argued the nearly month-long strike caused damage to students and families.
"I'm thinking about the students that are not making it to school, where this might be their only meal of the day. I'm worried about their mental health. I'm thinking about the conflict that that's creating at home," Alex Tiscareño said.
READ MORE: Sheridan schools reopen for first time since educators went on strike April 1
Tiscareño, a Sheridan community member and former student of the district, said the community ultimately took the hit for the strike.
"That's not putting education first," Tiscareño said.
In an interview with Sheridan School District Superintendent Gionni Thompson, he agreed students and families are now the priority as they work toward the ultimate goal of filling classrooms back up.
"It's important that we all put these differences aside. There's no winners, there's no losers," Thompson said. "It's going to take a lot of lot of healing."
Superintendent Gionni went on to say making sure students' needs are met is the priority now.
"It's important that we focus on our students, making sure they get everything they need in the classroom, and that we're creating environments where they can thrive and it's conducive to their learning," he said. "I think at this point, we do some restorative justice, not only for the adults, but also the students, and making sure that the focus is on them continuing forward and that we don't."
"We do not look in the past of our differences, but look forward in our commonalities and how we can come together to serve our students," the superintendent said.
According to a statement from the Sheridan Educators Association, "all parties desire for staff to return to Sheridan classrooms on Monday, April 27. Educators plan to return on Monday presuming the Board is able to ratify the agreement before Monday; the agreement is not in effect until the Board votes to ratify."
The board's next scheduled meeting in Tuesday, April 28.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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