DPS passes new budget to address $65 million shortfall

DENVER — Denver Public Schools (DPS) Board of Education passed a new, slimmer budget Monday night to address a $65 million shortfall.

DPS plans to fill that gap by cutting some central office positions, cutting pay to some positions, limiting travel and lowering the cost of living adjustments.

The Board said there will be no impact to workers on the lower end of the pay scale and higher earners will have the deepest pay cuts.

The Board will also use some of its reserve funding and CARES Act money to fill the gap.

RELATED: Education advocates say DPS budget needs to address student inequities

The economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic is affecting almost every school district in Colorado, with some systems losing millions of dollars for the next school year.

Earlier this month, DPS reached an agreement with the teacher's union to help address the district's budget concerns. DPS had asked the Denver Classroom Teachers Association (DCTA) to revisit a deal made last year, after a three-day teachers' strike, that gave a pay raise to teachers.

RELATED: DPS, teacher’s union reach deal to help with $65M budget shortfall

In a letter that Superintendent Susana Cordova sent to the DCTA in mid-June, she detailed the $3.3 billion revenue shortfall that Colorado faces for the coming school financial year, leading to a 5.3% gap in DPS' budget.

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