The Denver Classroom Teachers Association rejected Denver Public Schools’ final proposal on a new contract laying out educators’ pay structure late Friday, hours before members of the teachers union were scheduled to begin voting on whether to strike in the name of fair wages.

“We anticipate a strike,” said Henry Roman, president of the Denver teachers union, after a marathon back-and-forth bargaining session that lasted more than 12 hours Friday and has stretched out over 14 months.

Representatives from DPS and the union representing the district’s 5,600 educators faced around an $8 million gap between their two compensation proposals as bargaining came to an abrupt end, foreshadowing what could be the first walkout in the state’s largest school district since 1994.

Teachers who packed the room for the intense session ran the gamut of emotion once the meeting ended in disagreement, not sure whether to cry, clap, cheer or do all three.

Valerie Lovato, an Eagleton Elementary School teacher who was vocally optimistic about reaching agreement throughout the day, wiped tears from her cheeks after the meeting began to clear out.

“I’m disappointed,” Lovato said. “I was just hoping the district would come through in the end.”

Meanwhile, DPS Superintendent Susana Cordova sat upstairs with district officials, figuring out their next steps. Cordova said that she and her team were going to do everything they could to make sure teachers were “well-versed” in the district’s proposal before they voted, sending out communications.

But in the event of a strike, she wanted parents to be assured that their children would be taken care of. If there is a successful strike vote, Cordova said she would immediately ask for state intervention.

“We’ll have high-quality lesson plans in every school, every grade level, every content area,” Cordova said, if a strike happens. “We have efforts underway to recruit substitute teachers. All licensed staff who work outside of schools will be deployed… We’ll prioritize making sure our most vulnerable students — our students in early childhood education, our special needs students — that our coverage is aligned to the requirement in those classrooms.”

Union members can vote all day Saturday and Tuesday evening on whether to strike. Two-thirds of the membership must vote in favor of a strike to make it official. Results will be known either late Tuesday night or early Wednesday morning, according to union officials.

The earliest any strike would begin is Jan. 28.

Competing proposals

The union turned down an offer for the district around 10:30 p.m. The district’s offer, like the union’s earlier, didn’t present new money to bring the two sides closer together in their financial gap.

“We came here tonight in good faith,” said Rob Gould, union spokesman. “We came to correct a long, outstanding problem in Denver. We made movement tonight, and we’re going to talk to our teachers tomorrow.”

The day saw a tango of proposal updates, with the district inching up toward the union in its pay demand of $27.5 million toward teacher compensation and the union countering by moving money around its pay chart to increase cash for educators in high-poverty schools.

In the end, a chasm remained.

Much of the bargaining over the contract governing the teacher compensation program ProComp has been over its structure and how teachers are paid for their continuing education.

Before the union left the table about 5 p.m. Friday to discuss the district’s offer, several bargaining team members went around sharing personal examples of how their low pay affects their lives. Some noted the additional jobs they have had to take on during the school year and summer, including food delivery, driving for Lyft, tutoring and working at camps. Another union member noted that she’s had to sleep in her school’s parking lot while renting out her home on AirBnb.

Gould chided the district for being unwilling to invest the approximately $8 million separating the district’s and union’s plans when the school district’s central administration was so heavy.

An analysis by the education website Chalkbeat found that, compared with the statewide average, DPS is top-heavy with administration, having one administrator for every 7.5 instructional members, including teachers, librarians, nurses and others.

Gould noted the raises central administration received, calling out the DPS superintendent at the table, naming a number and asking if that was the raise she received last year as the crowd booed and gasped.

“If there is a strike, it’ll be because of your unwillingness to invest,” Gould said before the teams split to confer in private.

Cordova responded, acknowledging the importance of hearing the team’s stories and noting the additional money the district has added throughout bargaining sessions.

“We’ve moved a lot,” Cordova said, referring to the added dollars. “Maybe that’s not going to be enough, but I do think it’s important to acknowledge both to you and how completely dedicated I am to supporting teachers.”

Money not only sticking point

Money wasn’t the only barrier between the district and the union. Both had different ways of divvying up the cash that each group held strong to. The union’s pay structure valued bumping teachers up along a pay scale as they complete certain continuing-education credits, such as working toward an advanced degree or finishing their district’s professional development units.

DPS’ pay structure had fewer increments to move up in pay, with the argument that the district’s offered starting pay is higher, it will pay out bonuses to teachers working in high-poverty or hard-to-fill positions, and that its giving teachers a raise just for sticking with the district for 10 years.

Everyone acknowledged the details are confusing.

Early Friday afternoon, as the district continued to crunch numbers and model scenarios of how its plan could change, Cordova said in a news conference that the day wasn’t over yet and that she remained hopeful to come to an agreement.

“We are at the end of our limit in terms of money we can contribute,” Cordova said. “Colorado is a wealthy state that does not fund our schools very well.”

Teachers started packing the room as school got out, supporting the union and waiting for news on the fate of their profession, students and lives in the coming weeks.

As exhausted teachers filed out of the building late that night, East High School teacher Tiffany Choi wore a smile on her face.

“I feel great,” Choi said. “This is the most empowered I’ve felt in a long time as a teacher.”