Teacher salaries flat as Colorado charts new education vision
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Colorado's public education system saw a meaningful redesign at the Capitol this year.
State of play: State lawmakers fulfilled their vow to provide schools with more money, meeting the constitutional requirements of Amendment 23 for the first time since 2009, and then approved a new funding formula that has been a decade in the making.
Why it matters: The policy shifts showcase how public education emerged as a major theme in the legislative session that ended last week and projected a new vision for the future.
Zoom in: The formula for how much money school districts receive from the state prompted the most heated debate and only came through in the final hours of the 120-day term.
- The legislation adds $500 million in new spending over six years as a transition period before districts will see different sums based on the needs of the students they serve, our education reporting partners at Chalkbeat write.
- The goal is to improve achievement by boosting spending in rural districts, those with large numbers of English learners and others with low-income households.
Yes, but: One area lawmakers left to local districts to handle is teacher pay. Colorado teachers saw their salaries increase by 1.1% in the 2022-23 school year, according to a new Axios analysis of data from the National Education Association, the teacher's union.
- The increase was the second lowest in the nation among states and Washington, D.C.
By the numbers: The average Colorado teacher now makes $60,775, which is 29th in the nation.
What to watch: Lawmakers did offer incentives as part of a package of workforce and training bills this year.
- To address instructor shortages, lawmakers approved legislation that would waive pension rules to allow retirees to return to schools and make it easier for special education teachers and school psychologists to get certified.
- Experienced and student teachers would be able to qualify for stipends.