School district gets creative to keep teachers

A ordable housing considered

BY THELMA GRIMES TGRIMES@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

While the Cherry Creek School District approved salary increases to recruit and retain teachers, the Douglas County School District is forced to be more creative in addressing the ongoing issue.

During the Feb. 7 meeting, school board members considered the option to partner with developers to create housing options for teachers who cannot currently a ord to live in Douglas County.

Despite being one of the state’s largest school districts, Douglas County has struggled to compete with other districts in teachers’ salaries, and the results of the November election did not help.

Voters rejected a mill levy measure, which was slated to go directly towards teacher salaries.

Superintendent Erin Kane has raised concerns with the salaries teachers are receiving, stressing the current starting salary for a teacher in the district is $43,680, which is out of touch with the cost of living in the county.

According to the U.S. Census, the median household income in Douglas County is $127,443. e average monthly cost of living is over $4,000. While school board members are considering returning to voters again next year to ask for more funds to pay teachers, they are currently looking at the a ordable housing options.

Shea Properties, a local housing developer that built out Highlands Ranch, has proposed building on 10 acres of land owned by the school district in Meridian Village near Parker. e land was originally set aside for a new school but is too small.

Shea would then develop the property with low-income apartments.

Board members seemed receptive to the proposal.

In neighboring Arapahoe County, Cherry Creek’s school board approved salary increases to start in the 2024-25 school year. According to the Feb. 8 news release, new Cherry Creek teachers will start at $57,000 per year, around $14,000 more than Douglas County. is new salary schedule was part of a compensation package approved Feb. 6 by members of the Cherry Creek Education Association, an organization that represents the teachers, education professionals, counselors, nurses and mental health professionals in the Cherry

Cherry Creek teachers “across the spectrum of classroom experience” will also get salary increases, and additional compensation will be available for teachers and certi ed sta who further their education, according to the release.

Creek School District.

“ is salary update is designed to provide competitive compensation for all of our teachers and certied sta , and is aligned to our core values as a district,” Superintendent Christopher Smith said in the release. “ is week’s announcement is part of our ongoing e orts to ensure that all of our sta earn fair and competitive wages for the work they do in service of students.”

Cherry Creek School District said it hopes the salary increase will attract new teachers to work for the district, which is hiring for many positions across schools and departments, according to the release.

Reporter Tayler Shaw contributed to this story.