Denver Public Schools FAQ

Pros

Summer off, snow days, spring/ fall break

Cons

Benefit package is terrible, especially healthcare benefits

Advice to Management

Care for your employees.

Pros

Great working with great teachers and students. The ability to continuously learn.

Cons

Education does not pay well unfortunately. Hours for paraprofessionals are minimal. Medical and dental insurance is minimal for part time staff. It's not always possible to work full time depending upon the school. There is Pera and a health savings plan which is helpful in paying medical bills.

Advice to Management

Increase hourly pay.

Pros

Work life balance is good

Cons

High cost of benefits for family plans

Pros

Good pension and summers off

Cons

Long hours, exploitative culture, and illegal activity

Pros

- DPS has really great employees who are dedicated to students and each other - Mission driven - Lots of time off, even for those who work the full year - DPS has surprised staff members with additional paid vacation days - Comprehensive benefits package - PERA retirement

Cons

- DPS will use its mission, say "It's for the kids," and use budget issues as a reason for staff working incredibly long hours. They will extract every single bit of you they can take. - Health insurance is expensive - The board is a mess, and there is no overall strategic plan for the district. - Covid has created chaos in the district, more than some other districts in the area - Large numbers of unfilled positions make it difficult to accomplish all kinds of things

Advice to Management

Assign a realistic workload. Stop needlessly burning out employees. The district does so many things that it isn't focused on anything. That makes it difficult to do impactful work as well as it should be done. Stop using "it's for the kids" as a reason for insane work hours.