SHERIDAN, Colo. — Sheridan teachers walked out of school Tuesday ahead of an official teachers’ strike set to begin tomorrow.
The district canceled classes for the rest of the week as teachers begin the strike over new contracts, better pay and concerns over retaliation. Teachers and support staff told me employees have been disciplined or even laid off for speaking out about district issues.
Community members, staff and students cheered the educators on as they walked out Tuesday afternoon in their fight to reinstate their union's collective bargaining agreement.
Teachers immediately headed to an impromptu board meeting at district headquarters — which was called by Superintendent Gionni Thompson Monday night — where things quickly escalated.
► Denver7's Adria Iraheta covers Day 1 of the Sheridan teacher strike in the video below
The teachers planned to picket outside district headquarters in the minutes leading up to the meeting’s 5 p.m. start time, but when 5 p.m. rolled around, the doors remained locked. Educators continued to picket as they voiced their concerns over the closed-door meeting.
About 10 minutes later, police showed up. After some back-and-forth, it was determined that the educators could sit in on the meeting until the executive session started.
Denver7 has been following this story for a while. The issue stems from union contract negotiations between the Sheridan Education Association and district leaders, which expired last year.
Earlier this year, we spoke with Thompson, who said he believes teachers are being heard and hoped to keep the tensions away from the classroom.
We tried meeting with Thompson today, but our interview request was denied.
In a statement, Sheridan School District 2 told me the district "[remains] committed to working in good faith with the Sheridan Education Association to reach an agreement."
Teachers say they want district leadership to come back to the table with a new contract with increased pay.
Community members say they are fully in support.
"We’re all one community. I think it’s important to let these folks know that their district might be small, but there’s a whole community rallying behind them that want the teachers to get exactly what they’re asking for in their CBA," Tim Hernandez said.
For families in need of meals for their kids during the strike, meal boxes are being handed out at the Fort Logan Northgate campus.
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