On June 16, Jeffco administrators gave themselves a raise — 4% on average, or $4,600 a year. For department heads, it was even higher: an average of $8,273.
Meanwhile, the District is claiming it can’t afford to staff our schools and has directed Superintendent Dorland to identify cuts — threatening the progress JESPA has made to address chronic understaffing across Jeffco.
At the bargaining table, the District is offering Education Support Professionals (ESPs) just a 1.5% cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) — and a step increase, but only for those eligible. For the average school-based employee who’s not eligible for a step, that’s just $418 a year — about $8 a week. It doesn’t even cover rising gas or groceries.
“I am outraged,” said JESPA member Christine Talley. “I cannot afford to support myself on my wages. If I want a life where I am free to make choices that support my and my family’s well-being, it increasingly seems I will need to leave Jeffco Public Schools. I am excellent at my job; Jeffco would lose a time-tested employee who has consistently “exceeded expectations,” and someone trusted by the community, and who is wholly invested in the well-being and education of our students. In the end, our school community would pay the price for me finding a living wage.
I love my job, but I’m being forced to choose between my own best interest and serving the community I love.”
While administrators celebrate raises, ESPs are being crushed by skyrocketing costs — housing, groceries, and especially healthcare. Monthly premiums and deductibles are so high that many members are cutting essentials, skipping care, or dropping coverage altogether.
“I’m tired of making cuts,” said Shaq Galvan, a paraprofessional at Deane Elementary. “This year, I had to drop dental insurance and stop treatment for my depression. I can’t afford both.”
For a $100,000-a-year administrator, a $100 monthly increase in healthcare might sting — but it won’t break them. For a para, custodian, food service worker, or bus assistant, it’s devastating. That one increase can wipe out the District’s entire COLA.
This isn’t just a budget issue. It’s a values test.
“If the District is broke, why are they celebrating?” asked Galvan. “They say they can’t afford to hire or pay fairly — but they’re fine rewarding themselves.”
Jeffco says it values the people who keep schools running. But its budget tells the truth.
The bottom line? Administrators can afford to get sick. Most of us can’t.
We’re calling on the District to stop treating their frontline workers like second-class citizens.
Healthcare must be affordable. Raises must be fair. And respect must be real — not a slogan.
We show up for students every day. Now we must show up for each other — at the bargaining table, in boardrooms, and in public.
