SCHOOLS

At the May 16 meeting, school board members did not respond to the teachers’ comments, though the board met in a closed meeting to continue to discuss teacher and sta wages.

e CCCEA was formed in 2019 to work to improve salaries for teachers and sta in the school district. Each year for the last several years, teachers have come to the school board to ask for salaries that re ect their professionalism and value to the district.

Superintendent Karen Quanbeck said the bargaining teams from the school district and the CCCEA have agreed on changes to the salary schedule, which includes more salary increases — called step increases — for each year a teacher is in the district and more entry points on the salary schedule. ose changes will cost the district about $500,000, she said, and the district still hopes to be able to a ord cost-of-living increases.

“I feel really good about that work,” she said.

In the 2022-23 school year in Clear Creek, a teacher with a bachelor’s degree and no teaching experience earned $41,322, while the starting salary in Je co Public Schools was $50,000. e district has made salary increases a priority since 2016-17,

2024

Seasons of Our Mountains when a teacher with a bachelor’s degree and no experience had a starting salary of $32,000.

A point of contention is how much money the school district has in its reserves that teachers say could be put toward salaries. Union o cials also say the district consistently overbudgets and underspends and a more realistic budget would provide more money for compensation.

“We can no longer sustain the -

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For more details visit evergreencameraclub.com nancial sacri ces,” Richardson said. “We choose to prioritize working at CCSD over taking care of our own families’ livelihoods.”

Pauline Fisher, a King-Murphy kindergarten teacher, talked about the turnover in sta , especially at the end of the school year at Clear Creek High School and Middle School.

“How do we ensure a cohesive learning environment with so much turnover?” she asked. “ e reality is we cannot attract and retain the best educators without better compensation. … It looks like you are not sincere (about improving compensation) when you prioritize spending in other areas.”

Counselor Brian Tracey, who is the CCCEA president, told the board:

“ e CCCEA rmly believes we have shown you that you have the ability (to increase compensation). Now we hope you have the will.”

Chalee and Ryan Domingos check out their prize for winning best dog and owner costumes at Canine on the Creek on May 20. The two humans and two pups dressed up in celebration of dog Bronx’s birthday.