Teachers union and Sheridan School District reach tentative agreement to end strike

Source: CBS News

By Ashley Portillo
Updated on: April 23, 2026 / 10:10 PM MDT / CBS Colorado

A tentative agreement has been reached to end the longest teachers strike in Colorado in 40 years. It paves the way for teachers in Sheridan School District No. 2 to return to class as early as Monday.

Gov. Jared Polis put pressure on negotiators to get a deal done as the strike was impacting many kids and families across the community in the southern part of the Denver metro area.

It took three weeks for a deal to be reached. During that time, Sheridan educators were on the picket lines outside schools. On Thursday, teachers took their protest inside the Colorado State Capitol. That was after Polis asked for negotiations to be ramped up and for the state to help with the talks. Discussions on Thursday were mediated by Polis' team and the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment.

"Let's... get the teachers back to the classroom, kids back to the classroom and let's finish the year strong. It's hard to make up some of those missing educational hours," said Polis.


Teachers strike in Sheridan prior to Thursday's announcement that a deal has been reached.
CBS

Read more: https://www.cbsnews.com/colorado/news/strike-teachers-sheridan-school-district-colorado/