Sheridan Educators Association Timeline
Negotiations Breakdown
Spring 2025
Sheridan Educators Association (SEA) and the Sheridan School District (the district) began bargaining a new collective bargaining agreement through the same bargaining process used for decades. The current contract was set to expire at the end of July.
May 2025
SEA and the District had reached reached agreement on much of the contract language, but negotiations over salary increases stalled. SEA and the District declared an impasse — a contract process designed to help both sides resolve major disagreements..
Mid-July, 2025
With only salary increases remaining unresolved, SEA reached out to the district multiple times to schedule a final bargaining session before the contract expired. The district refused to schedule a meeting prior to the expiration of the contract. A member of the school board has since confirmed that they “have been wanting to get rid of the contract for years.”
July 18, 2025
The district attempted to cut SEA out of new teacher orientation. SEA was eventually allowed to host lunch, but the SEA President was blocked from giving a speech, as had been done in years past.
DISTRICT UNION-BUSTING ESCALATION
August 12, 2025
SEA met with the District expecting to continue the impasse process. Instead, the district refused to continue impasse, declined to extend the contract, and attempted to condition any further recognition on SEA giving up members’ organizing rights.
August 26, 2025
The SEA president offered an olive branch during a School Board meeting, calling on the District to reinstate the contract, re-recognize the union, and return to the longstanding practice of working collaboratively with the union.
September 23, 2025
SEA presents a petition with the signatures of more than 80% of licensed educators to the board. The petition calls on the board to extend the union contract and return to the bargaining table. The board did not acknowledge the petition or respond to its requests.
November 4, 2025
After months of refusing to give SEA the union dues that had been collected through payroll deduction, the District formally announces that it would end payroll deduction and would not release the funds that had already been deducted from employees’ paychecks.
COMMUNITY AND SEA MOBILIZATION
December 5-8, 2025
State elected officials attempt to find common ground between SEA and the district. SEA proposes a written MOU to extend the contract and return to the table. Despite the Superintendent and School Board VP telling third parties they would reinstate the contract, the district refused to put any agreement in writing.
December 9, 2025
The district bypasses the union by creating an internal committee to discuss “topics traditionally discussed during negotiations.” While some teachers volunteered to be on that committee, the District never contacted them, and decisions about a new salary schedule were made without employee input.
December 10, 2025
SEA hosts a press conference announcing the formal filing of a Notice of Labor Dispute with the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment (a legally required step in escalation that could end in a strike) More than 150 people attend, including elected state representatives and members of many other unions and school districts.
December 11, 2025
SEA contacts school district leadership, once again communicating the union proposal that had not yet received a response.
December 15, 2025
The Superintendent refuses to speak directly with the SEA President and directs all future communication to go through their contracted attorney, Adele Reester.
December 19, 2025
District unilaterally imposed a new salary schedule for the coming school year that would freeze pay for many educators indefinitely.
January 27, 2026
Licensed and Classified educators rallied at the board meeting to formally request that the District recognize classified educators as a part of SEA for the purpose of bargaining. While licensed educators have had a contract for more than 50 years, classified members have never had a recognized union. Instead of responding directly to the demand to recognize classified, the district passed a new negotiation policy that would block classified from joining their licensed peers in one unit with SEA.
DISTRICT RETALIATION AND STRIKE VOTE
February 6, 2026
Students at Sheridan High School plan and stage a walk-out calling out the district for, among many other things, the District’s treatment of educators.
February 9, 2026
Despite months of calling on the district to return to the table in good faith, the Superintendent sends an all-staff communication stating that there has been “no willingness from SEA” to engage in negotiation.
February 9, 2026
SEA educators and parents come together at a Parent forum to discuss shared concerns in Sheridan School District. Among others, everyone is deeply concerned by the fact that the district lockdown systems are in disrepair. Educators share how they had been directed to run down the halls to warn the school in the event of a school shooting. Following this event, parents demand a tour of the district buildings to review lockdown protocol. The lockdown system has still not been repaired.
February 11, 2026
Sheridan Board of Education passes a slew of Anti-union policies in response to SEA’s organizing.
Flyering policy: In response to Sheridan educators giving information to families to inform them about their working conditions in the schools, the SEA board of education passes an anti-flyering policy threatening to discipline anyone who hands out materials on school grounds without permission.
Negotiations “Policy H”: While the process of negotiations has historically been a topic of the union contract, the district adopted a dense and restrictive “Policy H,” which replaces past bargaining practices with a unilateral District policy.
February 24, 2026
Parents attend school board meeting, District Accountability Committee, and a meeting with the superintendent, calling on him to re-engage with SEA in fair negotiations. The district continues to insist that negotiations will only occur through “Policy H”, the retaliatory policy that was adopted only weeks before.
February 2026
District launches a campaign of retaliation. Within 2 weeks, many SEA leaders were investigated, disciplined, or threatened with negative evaluations. During this time, a school social worker was aggressively fired after she and her colleagues alerted parents that the school lock-down system wasn’t working. The superintendent threatens to have her escorted out by police and later threatens to charge her with trespassing.
March 4, 2026
Sheridan Educators, both licensed and classified united, vote 98% to authorize a strike. Uninvited, the School Board Vice President shows up at the event and then proclaims, “We have been wanting to get rid of the contract for years”, when she is asked to leave. Labor advocates note that management presence at a union strike authorization vote is intimidating to employees and is generally illegal surveillance under unfair labor practice law.
March 12, 2026
SEA meets with District.