DOUGLAS COUNTY, Colo. — During Tuesday night's Douglas County School Board meeting, the board had a first reading of Policy H, which outlines what negotiations would look like with labor unions as the district looks at next steps in its collective bargaining talks with DCSD teachers.
Board members noted some concern over the language presented in the first draft, and they entered executive session to seek legal counsel on the policy.
No vote was held on Tuesday on adopting Policy H. That's expected to happen during the Dec. 8 school board meeting at the earliest, according to district officials.
Denver7's Douglas County reporter Tyler Melito has the latest in the video below:
Board Director Brad Geiger made it abundantly clear to those in attendance and those watching online that nothing is set in stone regarding Policy H.
"Anybody who thinks that we've already decided or already made up our minds? Well, that's in your head, not in mine," Geiger said.
Before hearing Policy H, supporters and opponents of collective bargaining for DougCo teachers shared their opinions on the issue.
"Formal collective bargaining ensures that the professionals working directly with our children every day have a structured, binding seat at the table when decisions about resources and working conditions are made," one supporter said during the public comment portion of the meeting.
"Superintendent Kane has worked hard to get staff the tools they need to succeed," an opponent outlined. "Look at late start Fridays. Staff asked. She responded. No union necessary. Just staff working together to make this district work well for everyone involved, and that's how it should be."
Opponents also called on the Douglas County Federation (DCF), the union for teachers and staff, to take a close look at whether or not collective bargaining is what the majority of teachers want.
"It's long past time for DCF to stop playing politics and actually give the teachers the voice they say they want them to have. Send out a third-party-administered anonymous survey of the entire body you want to represent. Have that complete data publicly released the same day you get access to it. You want recognition? Prove teachers want you to have it."
Another topic that came up during the meeting was the impact of the failed vote for a $54 million Mill Levy Override.
"The failure of 5A makes collective bargaining more critical than ever," CBA supporers said.
"The pollings told us from March to July that we lost 11% of people who thought the district was headed in the right direction. Now, what happened between March and July that could account for that. The DCF asked for a CBA in April," opponents of collective bargaining outlined.
DCF President Lucy Squire told Denver7's Melito how the union hopes to have a CBA in place for teachers as soon as possible so there is something in place before the start of the 2027-2028 school year.
Read the first draft for Policy H here or in the embed below:
"It seems like we are making baby steps forward," Squire said. "I feel positive that we keep moving in the right direction, even if it's going at a slower pace than I think we would like to see."
Teachers like Christine Graham-Herring, who have been with DCSD for more than two decades, told Melito there is already a collective bargaining agreement for bus drivers, but having one for teachers and other staff is key for the district's future.
"I think for us to be a destination district, we have to be a place where they show as much respect to the custodians and the cafeteria workers and the teachers as they do to the bus drivers," Graham-Herring said.
One of the main talking points for why a collective bargaining agreement is needed, DCF says, is to prevent the already good teachers DougCo has to leave for other districts where there will be better pay or where there is a collective bargaining agreement in place.
"We have really dedicated staff members in order to continue to retain the teachers and the staff that we have, and to attract new teachers and new staff members," said Squire. "I think that collective bargaining really can get us there."
During Tuesday's meeting, the school board heard a presentation which touched on staff turnover. During the presentation staff shared DCSD had the second lowest turnover from the end of the 2025-2026 school year to the start to the 2026-2027 at 16.3%, with Cherry Creek schools with the lowest at 16% and the state average at 20%.
