School board approves pay increase for Je co educators

BY JANE REUTER SPECIAL TO COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA

Eligible Je erson County educators will get a 5.25% pay increase and more money for medical bene ts in the upcoming school year — two of several bene ts included in a recently approved agreement between the Je erson County Education Association (JCEA) and the Je erson County School Board.

Most educators will receive an additional salary bump based on the amount of time they’ve worked in the district.

Despite those increases, JCEA President Brooke Williams said Je erson County teacher salaries are low compared to many surrounding districts.

“Our goal is always to ensure we can keep the best educators in Je co to serve our students,” said Williams, who is also an art teacher in the district.

“ ough we were hopeful to secure a deal that would keep our district more competitive among others in the Denver metro area, we are not done ghting for the competitive compensation loyal educators deserve. We made it clear to our district that they need to reward our educators with the most experience, and we desperately need Je co to commit to invest new funding into its employees.”

According to Colorado Public Radio, Westminster, Cherry Creek and Adams 12 Five Star districts all o er higher starting salaries than Je erson County. e starting salary in Je co for the upcoming academic year is about $52,700.

Je co is also struggling with the impact of declining enrollment, caused in large part by a falling birth rate. ose changes led to a November 2022 decision to close 16 elementary schools and a more recent board vote to consolidate a middle and high school.

School funding is tied to enrollment, so the declines have put nancial pressure on the district — at a time in which educators say higher pay is critical.

With those factors at play, board member Susan Miller said she feels the district is attempting to strike a di cult balance.

“At the end of the day, from the taxpayers’ and parents’ point of view, the fact remains that over the past two years, district spending on teachers’ total compensation has increased by 18%, while achievement results have continued to decline, and learning losses have not been recovered,” she said. “We have limited nancial resources and they are getting more shallow. I am concerned we are spiraling with our nancial investment.

“We’re going to have to gure out how to talk to our community about that investment and the return on that investment,” she continued.

Board member Paula Reed praised those who negotiated the agreement but agreed the funding formula makes the process tough.

“ e JCEA and Je co have had over ve decades of negotiating together, and I think it’s a history we can be really proud of,” she said. “I think we remain in this sort of tense place between what we are able to o er and what our educators deserve for the work they do and being competitive in the metro area.

“I think we are going to have to do some work as a district to gure out the revenue side so we can ease that tension a little bit and have more room for the compensation piece of negotiation,” she continued. “But I think we’re all trying to pull in the same direction, which feels really good.”

Je Co teachers said the issues of both compensation and academic performance are multi-layered and linked.

“A real concern of JCEA educators is the increasing cost of living in the Denver area, especially in Je erson County,” said JCEA Vice President Dale Munholland, who’s also a Pomona High School social studies teacher. “Furthermore, over the next decade, there is going to be an exodus of teachers from the classroom due to retirement as well as teachers leaving the profession early because of the increasing demands and stress. Compounding this problem is that fewer and fewer young people are going into education due to low pay and increasing workload.”

Munholland added that if Je co wants to increase achievement, it cannot be done with overcrowded classrooms led by overworked teachers.

“It can only be done by keeping and attracting educators with a compensation package that keeps up with surrounding districts,” Munholland said.

JCEA Treasurer and Golden High School English teacher Andrew Gitner thanked the school board for the added compensation.

“When I started working in Je co in 2014, I was paid just over $29K per year,” he said. “ e only place I could a ord to live was not legally allowed to be called a bedroom. I’m grateful that the majority of Je co parents and the community have voted for School Board Directors who care enough to invest in educators and students. Valuing educators less than every comparable metro district is not a solution to any problem.”

Highlights of the agreement include:

• A 5.25% cost of living increase

• An added $20 per month toward the medical plan of the employee’s choosing

• An increase from 1% to 2% to the stipend for educators who work in Title I schools

• A class size relief fund for classes that exceed contractual guidelines. is will allow the district to provide paraeducator support or hire another teacher when students are in large classes.

• e expansion of non-contact days for planning time to include middle school educators.

• Additional stipends for Career and Technical Education and Elementary Art Music and PE teachers.

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