Under Colorado state law, local school boards have full control over whether or not they recognize the right of the teacher/staff union to bargain a contract. Twelve years ago, DCF was a strong local union with a binding contract until DCSD became a target for union busting and a newly elected reformer school board refused to bargain. For the last twelve years, the teachers and staff of Douglas County have been working without a contract and it shows. Salaries have slipped and our students continue to lose talented professionals to surrounding districts with high pay and contract protections. 

Are you struggling with disruptive behaviors that take away from learning time or that foster ill will? Are you looking for practical solutions that can be implemented immediately? Whether you are a classroom teacher, support staff or are involved in daily contact with students, this class has strategies for you. This course is intended for PreK-12 educators and instructional support staff in all content areas and disciplines. Managing Behavior in School Communities is a course that presents the most recent and seminal research on challenging student behavior. It provides educators with

AFT is offering an all-expenses-paid professional development course on incorporating Civics into the classroom. In today’s divisive political climate where teachers are caught in the middle, there’s no better time than now to learn strategies to help you navigate controversial topics in the classroom. Knowledge is power: walk away with a toolkit of resources to empower students by infusing civics throughout the curriculum starting in Kindergarten. Confidently prepare your students to get engaged in their school communities and learn how to debate and disagree in a civil way. Questions? email

In AFT President Randi Weingarten’s latest New York Times  column, she describes what it is exactly that unions do. Though unions are the most popular they have been in decades, anti-union sentiment still thrives in red states and across the nation. “Several years ago, The Atlantic ran a story whose headline made even me, a labor leader, scratch my head: ‘Union Membership: Very Sexy,’” Weingarten writes in the column. “The gist was that higher wages, health benefits and job security—all associated with union membership—boost one’s chances of getting married. Belonging to a union doesn’t actually guarantee happily ever after, but it does help working people have a better life in the here and now.” Click through to read the full column.