After weeks of tense negotiations over wages in a community grappling with a high cost of living, employees and Durango School District 9-R have reached a tentative pay deal.
Durango Education Association and Durango Educational Support Professionals Association must ratify the agreement before the Durango Board of Education reviews it and votes to approve or reject it. The board’s next meeting is scheduled for June 24, according to the school district.
School employee union members began negotiations April 30, demanding a 15% cost-of-living adjustment.
The tentative agreement reached Monday evening includes a 2% cost-of-living adjustment on top of natural movement – salary increases staff members may earn for professional development and additional experience – for all returning licensed staff, educational support professionals and student service providers. It also includes movement of eligible staff members one step upward on the district’s pay scale, Durango School District said in a news release.
The agreement also removes two nonstudent contact days for teachers, counselors and student service providers without a reduction in pay, and converts two educational support professional workdays to two paid days off.
“I’m very, very pleased that we reached an agreement that everybody can live with, the district and ourselves,” said Anna Barstatis, DESPA lead negotiator, on Tuesday. “I can only speak for DESPA, but I do think there’s some disappointment around the low percentage (of increased pay).”
Overall, however, she said she is “super thankful” and proud of the DESPA negotiating team for its hard work.
“We fought really hard for our membership and for what we believe our membership deserves,” she said. “There’s a foundation of mutual respect that we built with the district that’s important.”
During negotiations, school union members argued that wages were not keeping pace with Durango’s high and rising cost of living. Members criticized the district’s reluctance to use reserve funds – an amount that totals 30% of its annual budget – for staff pay increases. The district argued that maintaining a large fund balance is crucial to preserving a strong credit rating, The Durango Herald previously reported.
“Using one-time savings to fund ongoing salaries is not sustainable and would quickly deplete reserves, putting the district at risk of deeper cuts or insolvency during future emergencies or funding shortfalls,” Karla Sluis, district spokeswoman, said in an email to the Herald.
According to the district, Durango School District received only a 1.5% increase in per-pupil funding for the 2025-26 school year – insufficient to cover rising employer-paid insurance premiums or even partly fund annual salary increases.
The district said it was informed last week to expect at least a 14% decrease in federal Title I funding, which supports schools with high numbers of students from low-income families with resources for math, literacy and small-group instruction.
The district reported spending more than $47.5 million on staff salaries, with 5% of that – nearly $2.4 million – going to central administration salaries.
“In the face of financial challenges, the successful negotiations with DEA and DESPA reflect our shared commitment to all staff, and to the district,” Sluis said. “Together, we believe we were able to find a solution that honors our staff while safeguarding the future of our schools. We appreciate the hard work of all negotiators.”
cburney@durangoherald.com
A photo cutline in a previous version of this story misstated when the Durango School District 9-R Board of Education participated in compensation negotiations. The meeting photographed occurred in early May.
