Proposed ballot initiative would increase pay for Colorado teachers without raising taxes
PUEBLO, Colo. (KRDO) -- Thanks to a proposed ballot initiative, Colorado teachers could receive a pay increase. Supporters say Initiative 63 would funnel more funding into education without raising taxes.
According to the Great Schools Thriving Communities Collation (GSTSC), Initiative 63 would put almost $1 billion into Colorado's K-12 schools.
The GSTSC proposes the state take a third of 1% of taxable income and add it to the state education fund. The hope is to attract, retain, and compensate teachers and student support professionals.
According to a 2021-2022 report by the Colorado Department of Education, the state average salary for all schools is $60,168. In Pueblo, the average salary for a teacher is below the state average. A Pueblo teacher can expect to make around $42,000-$57,000 a year.
For District 60 board member Barbara Clementi, low pay as a teacher isn't something new. While she's out of the classroom now, she taught for 28 years. During her time as an educator, Clementi said she felt underpaid.
"We have to change things," said Barbara Clementi.
Clementi said educators are the most hardworking people in the world, and they're not paid what they deserve.
"Salary is a benefit and a way to honor the work that people do, so if this initiative gets on the ballot and if it passes, we have every indication that it will. We would be able to pay all educators, not just teachers, more making it a little easier for them to live," said Clementi
Lisa Weil, the executive director of Great Education Colorado, said that Colorado has the least competitive teacher pay in the nation and many people are choosing to leave the profession.
"We're seeing huge teacher shortages, we're seeing people leaving the profession because our underfunding over all these years means their class sizes are too high, the number of classes they have to teach is too high. It's just so much. They can't do what they want to do for every student," said Lisa Weil.
According to a 2021-2022 government survey, 7.68% of teacher positions remained unfilled for the entire school year. According to the Colorado Department of Education, a 2021-2022 report revealed that the turnover rate for both administrative, office staff, student support staff, and teachers were 21.2%.
Weils said it was time to bring this issue out to the voters.
"The voters need to have an opportunity to make this value judgment
The petition to get Initiative 63 on the ballot began in April. To get the initiative on the November ballot, organizers need more than 124,000 valid signatures by August 8, 2022.
While this petition needs a lot of signatures to get on the ballot, Weils said this was an easier petition to get signatures for.
"As soon as we say this is for teachers people stop. I have people that walk by who hear the word teacher and come back. Everybody is having this reaction. That's another way I know people really support teachers cause they want this on the ballot. They want this opportunity," said Lisa Weils.
Like Clementi, volunteers in the Pueblo community are asking to get all notarized petitions turned in by July 31.
The address to turn in the petition can be found on the petition's first page. For more information, click here.
