Appendix C - Market Compensation Task Force

The Board of Education and the Denver Classroom Teachers Association affirm the need to effectively compete in the market for the highest quality teachers and other professionals represented by the DCTA, consistent with overall district financial strength and should consider all DPS pay plans for the bargaining unit in this effort.  This effort shall be part of the process of ensuring that the traditional compensation system remains competitive and therefore shall include the relationship and the interactions between the traditional system and the ProComp system.

Both parties recognize that the achievement of a particular market position which would return DPS teacheirs’ value to the market place is a challenge that must be accomplished over a multi-year period beginning in school year 2005-06 and must be maintained in the face of changing market conditions.

In order to accomplish this goal, it is necessary to jointly develop a high level of technical understanding of the market conditions that we face by conducting a technical study of these conditions.  The purpose of the analysis is to assess the impact of recent compensation decisions negotiated by DCTA and the District within the collective bargaining process.  The study will analyze the effect of these decisions on the District’s competitive position in the marketplace and the effect on the ability of the District to retain, attract and reward teachers.  A particular focus will be placed on the experience steps and longevity increments as a priority over other elements of the compensation system in the study.

To this end, DPS and DCTA will establish a Market Compensation Task Force to evaluate the DPS Total Compensation System to determine its strengths and weaknesses and recommend needed improvements to again become a competitive leader in the market.  The Task Force will be comprised of four appointees each by the DCTA President and the Superintendent, one community member each appointed by the DCTA President and the Superintendent, and one community member appointed by the mutual agreement of the DCTA President and the Superintendent.  Decisions of the Task Force shall be made by consensus.  The Task Force members shall appoint Co-Chairpersons at its first meeting.

The study will be conducted at the direction of the Task Force by a professional consulting organization with knowledge of teacher compensation issues and familiarity with issues specific to DPS teacher compensation systems (ProComp and Traditional).  Selection of a consultant will be done through a Request for Proposal process conducted by the District with participation of DCTA.

The District and DCTA will jointly fund the total compensation market study and will provide the necessary resources to effectively support the charge of the task force.

The results of the study and recommendations of the Task Force will be presented to the Board of Education and the DCTA Board of Directors in a joint session by February 1, 2005.

In addition, the results of the study and recommendations will be presented by the consulting firm and Task Force in the Board of Education’s first 2005-06 special budget work session and prior to any other budget work session.  The findings will be used to provide input into the District’s budget process, including the setting of District priorities for 2005-06.  The Board of Education shall then take action on the priority recommendations of the study consistent with available District resources and prior to taking any other budget action for the 2005-06 budget year. (Article 31-15)  Similar guidance to the negotiations teams of the District and DCTA for the 2005-06 budget cycle will also be provided by the Task Force.

The Market Compensation Task Force shall examine the teachers’ and other DCTA bargaining unit professionals’ compensation market and make recommendations to the Board of Education, the DCTA Board of Directors and their respective negotiations teams on the following topics:

1. identification of all elements of total teacher compensation in DPS and other districts chosen for the study
2. development of a methodology for comparing the present value of total teacher compensation over the course of a total career
3. development of a methodology for identifying points in a teacher’s career where DPS is non-competitive and others where DPS is highly competitive and development of specific recommendations for addressing those weaknesses in DPS’s competitive position consistent with district financial considerations
4. the following concepts at a minimum: additional steps beyond step 13, additional longevity payments, enhancements of or additions to existing steps or lanes, additional benefit allowance allocations, year-to-year step rollover from unused entry level steps to other elements of teacher compensation
5. identification of appropriate districts with which to compare DPS and the market position that we wish to achieve relative to those other districts
6. identification of other, non-school district employers that may be competitors for professionals in the bargaining unit other than classroom teachers and the market position that we wish to achieve relative to those other employers
7. identification of all DPS categories of employees, in all employee groups regardless of bargaining unit status, by number of FTEs and their rates of total compensation, and a comparative study with DPS’s position relative to the other districts in the study
8. the relationship and the interactions between the traditional system and the ProComp system (3.3.1 and 3.3.1.1 of the ProComp Agreement)

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