Gov. Jared Polis has signed into law the Interstate Teacher Mobility Compact aimed at bringing more qualified educators into Colorado amid a national shortage – but is it enough? 

Amie Baca-Oehlert, president of the Colorado Education Association, was pleased the compact was signed into law, but acknowledged that more needs to be done to address the shortage heightened by the COVID-19 pandemic.

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“It’s certainly not going to solve the problem by itself,” Baca-Oehlert told The Gazette. 

As the Colorado’s largest labor union, the CEA represents 39,000 educators across the state, and were among other unions who pressed for the compact to pass.

In the 2021-2022 school year, Colorado had roughly 7,000 teaching and special service provider positions – counselors, nurses, social workers – that needed to be hired, according to a survey mandated by the state legislature.

If approved, the compact would effectively allow teaching licenses across member states, easing the transition for teachers moving between Colorado and nine other states considering the compact.

Given the cost of repeat qualification testing and licensing obstacles educators are forced to navigate when moving, the compact is easy to support, according to Joe Schott, president of the Colorado Springs Education Association.

“All that is to prove what teachers have already proven in another state, which is frustrating. Removing that friction for licensed teachers who’d like to relocate can only help make Colorado more accessible,” Schott wrote via email.

However, the compact could also enable teachers to opt for education employment in other states with higher pay.

“It’s hard to attract employees when your pay doesn’t compete,” Schott said.

With Colorado teacher pay mid-ranked in the nation, states like Ohio and Washington that pay better may be more attractive for qualified educators. However, other states considering the compact like Kansas and Mississippi pay on average less than Colorado.

According to state education data, the average teacher salary last school year was $60,168; Colorado Springs District 11 is lower with an average of $55,274 in 2021.

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Colorado educators also make roughly a third less than similarly educated professionals in the state, according to the Economic Policy Institute, a nonprofit think tank formed to include the needs of low-and middle-income workers in policy discussions.

The compact, which works similar to one for traveling nurses, requires 10 states to be enacted nationally. Nine other statehouses including Hawaii, Kansas, Georgia and Mississippi are weighing whether to join the compact.

In addition to streamlining the process among participating member states, the new law also will facilitate the exchange of teacher licensure, investigative and disciplinary actions.

The U.S. Department of Defense originally proposed the idea of a teacher mobility compact to, in part, support military spouses.

The Gazette’s Nicole C. Brambila and The Associated Press contributed to this report.