Update, March 10: The Colorado Education Association has canceled the rally.
A growing number of Colorado school districts are cancelling classes on March 19, when thousands of teachers are expected to rally at the state Capitol for more education funding.
The “Educator Day of Action” starts at 8 a.m. that Thursday, and is being organized by the statewide teachers union, the Colorado Education Association. Teachers held similar rallies over two days in April 2018.
The goals include promoting legislation that would create a special pot of money to raise pay for teachers and other school district staff, based on the cost of living in a particular district.
The union also wants state lawmakers to replace $570 million they held back from education this year to meet other state budget obligations. Even though the state constitution requires education funding to increase every year, lawmakers began diverting education dollars during the Great Recession as revenue declined.
The economy has since improved, but lawmakers have not fully restored education funding. The amount withheld over the last decade totals more than $8 billion.
The following Colorado districts canceled school on March 19. Other districts, including Aurora, Cherry Creek, and Douglas County, are on spring break that week.
Denver Public Schools, serving 92,100 students
Jeffco Public Schools, serving 84,000 students
Adams 12 Five Star Schools, serving 39,000 students
Boulder Valley School District, serving 31,000 students
School District 27J in Brighton, serving 19,200 students
Littleton Public Schools, serving 15,000 students
Mapleton Public Schools, serving 9,150 students
Adams County School District 14, serving 7,000 students
Weld Re-3J School District, serving 2,700 students
Englewood Schools, serving 2,600 students
Weld Re-8 School District, serving 2,400 students
Sheridan School District, serving 1,300 students
Clear Creek School District, serving 717 students
DSST Public Schools, a charter school network in Denver and Aurora
STRIVE Prep, a charter school network in Denver
This is a developing story. We’ll add districts and charter networks as more information becomes available.