To boost teacher pay, many Colorado districts are asking voters to approve property tax measures
Did you know search engines like Google are changing the way you see news? Keep Chalkbeat’s valuable education coverage at the top of your feeds by clicking here and checking the box next to our name. Rachel Cooper leaves her home in Rifle at 4 a.m. for the 45-minute daily commute to her teaching job in Carbondale. Her goal is to get ahead of the traffic that can clog the mountain canyon during…
Colorado school districts are increasingly turning to property tax measures in a bid to boost teacher pay, as the state continues to grapple with high living costs and teacher shortages. Rachel Cooper, a science teacher at Roaring Fork High School, illustrates the challenges facing educators in the region. She commutes 45 minutes daily to her job, shares her home with a friend, and works during weekends and summer to make ends meet.
If local voters approve a property tax measure on Election Day, it could generate about $5 million a year, most of which would go towards staff salaries and benefits. This measure is among 20 Colorado districts with similar proposals this year, including large districts like Denver, Jeffco, and Douglas County, as well as mountain resort districts such as Eagle County, Summit, and Telluride, and small rural districts like Hayden, Hanover, and Prairie.
The need for more funding for teacher compensation is evident, with the average Colorado teacher salary standing at $77,000 last school year, and individual districts ranging from $38,000 to $100,000. Justin Silverstein, executive director of the Colorado School Finance Project, notes that the number of districts seeking new dollars for teacher pay is diverse and consistent, reflecting the state's high cost of living and constant competition for quality teachers.
Roaring Fork Superintendent Anna Cole emphasizes the district's struggle to keep salaries competitive, stating that they lost ground since 2021 when local voters last approved a property tax hike for schools. Cooper, who has taught in the district for 23 years, highlights the strain on the local community due to high living costs, stating that the cheapest rental she found in Carbondale was $3,000 a month plus additional deposits for her pets.
The proposed property tax measure could provide a much-needed salary boost for Cooper and her colleagues, potentially helping to retain passionate and dedicated teachers in the area.
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