For years, Colorado Springs School District 11 has struggled to compete with districts throughout Colorado that offer higher take-home pay for young professionals beginning their careers. Without a competitive base wage, the district had no means of filling vacancies and obtaining the best recent graduates of our colleges and universities.

That dynamic in turn contributed to the district’s poor academic performance and declining enrollment. Families voted with their feet by choicing into neighboring districts.

To be certain, D-11 has snagged plenty of top-tier, devoted and talented teachers – most of them underpaid. It has not acquired as many as it could in a city entry-level professionals would happily move to if they could afford it.

All of this is changing for the better under the leadership of Superintendent Michael Gaal, Board President Parth Melpakam, and the entire D-11 Board of Education.

“I am pleased to announce that we have tentatively completed this year’s negotiations with the Colorado Springs Education Association, representing our teaching staff,” Melpakam said in a statement this past week.

“Through these collaborative discussions, the Board of Education stayed committed to prioritizing investing in all our certified staff through competitive compensation packages, high-quality professional development, and supportive work environments.”

That’s pro-speak for “we care about students and teachers enough to invest in them.”

The new compensation package bets big on early-career educators, starting first-year teachers at $50,000 – a 20% increase – and dramatically hiking pay for teachers in their first nine years, who often struggle to make ends meet in expensive Colorado.

Though these new salaries won’t buy Lamborghinis, they put D-11’s base compensation for early-career teachers among the highest in the region. Teachers closer to the end of their careers also are seeing significant increases.

“These substantial raises not only serve as a testament to our appreciation for the hard work and dedication demonstrated by our teachers but also serve to attract and retain talented staff in our district. And we are proud to say that D-11 will now offer some of the highest starting salaries among school districts in El Paso County for early-career educators.”

Best of all, the new agreement offers teachers the option to earn more by accepting additional responsibilities. That creates an incentive to excel and give children the best a teacher can give. By improving the futures of children, teachers improve their own lives – a fair and constructive arrangement for all.

Board President Melpakam lists three objectives achieved with the agreement.

? Raise early-career teacher salaries to one of the highest levels in the region;

? Beat last year’s 10.55% compensation and benefits contribution to our teachers, delivering the most significant net income packages in recent history, and;

? Create a system where collaborative contributions to the district’s success are recognized while providing intentional and differentiated professional development for our teachers.

Our community will be no better than the children it educates. A city with successful schools attracts high-end employers looking for skilled, learned and sophisticated workers.

The new board majority, Melpakam and Gaal deserve accolades for a compensation agreement that invests in classrooms and represents yet another step in the district’s journey to excellence.

A mind is a terrible thing to waste, as best expressed by legendary hit song “The Greatest Love of All.”

“I believe the children are our future; Teach them well and let them lead the way …” – Whitney Houston

Colorado Springs Gazette Editorial Board