DENVER — Despite the best attempts of Capitol Republicans, school districts will retain the right to keep collective bargaining negotiations under wraps.

A bill to require negotiations between school districts and teachers be made public was killed on a party line vote Wednesday afternoon, despite the urging of several teachers to open such talks.

A number of teachers begged the Senate State, Veterans and Military Affairs Committee to let the bill move forward, saying it would give them more input into collective bargaining talks between the teachers’ unions and the districts.

“We don’t have much of a chance to give input,” said Donna Jack, a teacher from Evergreen.

The bill’s Senate sponsor, Sen. Ted Harvey, R-Highlands Ranch, told the committee that opening collective bargaining negotiations would help move talks along by making parties act with more civility. It would also help allay paranoia between teachers and districts.

“This is a great opportunity to lay those concerns to rest,” he said.

But Walt Cooper, superintendent of Cheyenne Mountain School District 12, said the issue was one that needs to be resolved at the district level. Cooper testified on behalf of the Colorado Association of School Executives.

“This is an issue of local control,” Cooper asserted.

Cooper said that out of Colorado’s 178 school districts, only 41 have collective bargaining. And not all of those keep their talks private.

In Colorado Springs School District 11 a year ago, many negotiations were opened to the public after a fight between the district and local parents. A lawsuit was filed in March 2011 by a parent to force the district to restart negotiations because they initially were not public. The district then opened several meetings up.

D-11 is the only district in El Paso County that has collective bargaining, said Cooper.

“I’m sure there are places where closed negotiations have hurt the situation, and I’m sure there are places where it’s helped,” Cooper said.

The committee’s Democrats agreed with Cooper, and killed the measure, 3-2.

Joshua Carrier Photo by