Gov. John Hickenlooper signed a record-breaking $28.9 billion budget into law Monday. Fueled by Colorado’s booming economy, the law increases state government’s contribution to K-12 education by $150 million.

One could more quickly read “War and Peace” than become proficient in the intricacies of Colorado’s school finance formula. We only know more money is headed to every public school district in the state, and that should bode well for students.

Schools need repairs, newer buses, counselors, additional teachers and more.

As district officials invest the money, we hope they make teachers their highest priority. We have said it before and will say it again: Colorado teachers are underpaid. They are well-educated professionals working jobs essential to all businesses and the future of our state.

Without good teachers, we will not have good health care providers in the future. We will not have good firefighters, business executives, lawyers, bankers, or any of the other workers and professionals who sustain and improve our lives. Without good teachers, today’s adults won’t have a future workforce productive enough to pay for tomorrow’s pension obligations.

Do not take Colorado’s community of teachers for granted.

We have a teacher shortage. Without better pay, it will only get worse. The surrounding states pay their teachers more, and we lose some of our best and brightest classroom professionals to Wyoming, Kansas, Utah, Nebraska and New Mexico.

With an average salary of $51,204, Colorado teachers rank 31st among their peers throughout the country. That ranking only seems worse when considering Colorado’s cost of living, which ranks among the country’s highest.

Becoming a teacher is not easy. It typically requires at least a four-year college degree, state certification and continuing education.

We hear constant stories of teachers using their personal funds – sometimes thousands of dollars each year – to buy classroom supplies their districts don’t provide.

We know teachers who open their homes, nourishing and mentoring students from poor, broken, abusive and dysfunctional homes.

We know of successful adults who never stop thanking at least one teacher for pointing them in the direction of personal achievement.

We have yet to encounter a teacher attracted to the profession by money. They do it for the personal fulfillment of helping young people succeed.

No amount of remuneration could replace the rewards associated with instilling young minds with character and knowledge. Some teachers are so dedicated to the cause they would work for free. None of that justifies paying substandard compensation for their talents, efforts, and the educations they worked and paid for.

Colorado needs to attract and maintain the best and brightest teachers the country has to offer. Our state’s great climate and scenery don’t pay the mortgage and put food on the table.

None of the increase in education spending should fund bigger budgets for school administrators, whose wages dwarf those of rank-and-file teachers.

Put the money directly into the classrooms, where it will benefit our kids. Start by increasing wages for teachers – the men and women who determine the quality of Colorado’s future.