Colorado Springs D11 Board of Education approves salary increase for teachers

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO)- The Colorado Springs District 11 Board of Education just approved a salary increase for teachers that takes effect July 1st.

Kevin Coughin has been a teacher for 22 years, 15 of them as a 5th grade teacher for District 11. He's felt the impacts of the teacher shortage the last few years.

"There are so many jobs that are unfilled and so when you have an illness or the substitutes are all taken for jobs that are unfilled then sometimes you are unavailable to take a day off," said Coughin.

According to the Colorado Springs Education Association, D-11 needs to hire 120 teachers.

"A particular piece in this negotiation, that identifies at least three schools that have been chronically understaffed," said Joe Schott, Colorado Springs Education Association, President.

In a new salary agreement, teachers will receive a one percent bump in salary next year. Educators who decide to work at one of those schools will get a signing bonus.

"An additional $5,000 to draw people there, so the hope is that this will alleviate problems at these three schools that have been identified, specifically as needing some kind of extra bump to get their staffing up," said Schott.

District 11 Board of Education believes this move will help them ensure they are more staffed up next year.

"We are confident that we are going to be able to stabilize some of our established staffing challenges. We are going to be... This is going to help us recruit and retain some of our most highly qualified staff," said Parth Melpakam, Colorado Springs School District 11 Board of Education, President.

The D11 Board of Education will also be giving cafeteria staff, janitors, and other staffers who have worked for the district for 10 consecutive years, a yearly bonus of $350.