This legislation gives teachers and administrators the freedom to pursue their career in any district in Colorado they choose without losing their years of pension service and will give Denver Public Schools access to the largest and most highly qualified pool of teachers and school leaders in our district's history.
"This is a great day for teachers and schoolchildren across the state," said State Senator Paula Sandoval. "Teachers will be able to pursue their careers in any district in the state, without losing years of service in their pension."
The legislation is also great news for the thousands of DPS hourly workers who will now have the opportunity to receive pension benefits, which are far more generous than those offered through social security.
"For nearly a decade, DPSRS, PERA and DPS, have sought to come together to provide a stronger retirement system for all educators and allow teachers, principals and hourly workers to further their careers in any district in the State of Colorado," said Tom Boasberg, Superintendent of Denver Public Schools. "Today, with the Governor's signature, we have realized this vision and made Colorado an even better place to work for our country's best teachers."
Effective January 1, 2010 there will be a DPS division of PERA. PERA currently has four divisions, among them a school division comprised of the other 177 school districts in Colorado.
The bill was supported by the Denver Classroom Teachers Association (DCTA) and the Colorado Education Association (CEA), among others.
"We're excited about the increased options with portability for teachers across the state," said Kim Ursetta, President of Denver Classroom Teachers Association.
"We are really grateful to DTCA and CEA for their strong leadership in our effort to pass this legislation," said Boasberg. "I particularly want to thank Kim Ursetta for her extraordinary efforts."
For more information about the inclusion of DPS as a division of PERA visit www.dpsrs.org.
