Foundation Gives More Money To Promote Denver Pay Plan.

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Author: Keller, Bess

A $250,000 contribution from the Rose Community Foundation has kicked off a political campaign that aims to revolutionize the way Denver teachers are paid.

The new pay plan, more than five years in the making, can take effect only if Denver voters approve a property-tax increase on Nov. 1 that would underwrite the change at an estimated $25 million a year. It offers teachers a departure from the traditional pay scale, based only on years in the classroom and number of graduate credits, that could raise some salaries by more than 10 percent. In exchange, teachers would have to do more to show their effectiveness in raising student achievement.

The contribution, announced July 21, brings to $3.9 million the Glendale, Colo.-based foundation's contribution so far to the so-called ProComp Plan. Campaign spokesman Evan Dreyer said that direct mail, personal letters, and speaking engagements would be cornerstones of the bipartisan campaign, along with a Web site and broadcast advertising.

"We're planning for teachers to be an integral part of the campaign," Mr. Dreyer added. Members of the Denver Classroom Teachers Association, an NEA affiliate, approved ProComp in a March 2004 vote.

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By Bess Keller