Teachers at Denver's Montclair Elementary School stormed their union headquarters last week because the union hasn't yet been willing to allow the teachers to "seek freedoms from district and union rules in budgeting, hiring, and scheduling."
Teachers at the school – the third Denver school opting to bolt from the status quo straightjacket – voted 22 to 1 to seek autonomy from a host of rules and regulations, including portions of the union contract.
The union is suggesting it won't grant the teachers' request until after it settles its next contract with the Denver Public Schools, to which principal Shannon Hagerman replied: "Don't use us as your pawn."
Ironically, the union hall was empty when the teacher arrived because union leaders were attending a Teacher Union Reform Network meeting in Vail.