Blog #15
June 10, 2019 –First Class
Please spread the word:
Sheridan teacher salaries are first-rate, first-class,
top-notch.
We love our neighboring school districts and we don’t often
boast, but it does feel good to announce that starting salaries in Sheridan
next year will be higher than Englewood, Denver, and Littleton.
It’s true.
Thanks to the forthright and forward-thinking Sheridan Board
of Education—and thanks to the thoughtful negotiators who represent the
Sheridan Educator Association—the starting teacher salaries will be $45,885
beginning with the 2019-2020 school year. That’s a significant jump from the
previous starting salary of $38,500.
Wait.
This was all only possible because of Sheridan voters, who
approved a $3 million mill levy override last November.
Those additional resources will also be used to improve
safety and security, repair leaking roofs, address other infrastructure needs,
and upgrade technology infrastructure and operations in schools.
But the salary increase would not have been possible without
the voters’ support—and we thank all of you for your trust and faith in the district.
Sheridan should not be an also-ran. There is no reason we
can’t compete with our neighbors for the best teaching talent around.
Now, the key question you might be asking is somewhat
obvious: do higher teacher salaries yield higher test scores, better schools?
My answer is a qualified ‘yes.’
First, our existing teachers deserve the improved
compensation. I can’t think of a career that requires a college education and
expects teachers to work for such a low wage. Let me emphasize this: our current
Sheridan teachers work hard and they deserve this raise.
But we also have turnover. Some years, we have 30 or 40
teacher positions to fill and we must go looking for the best talent.
The new teacher salary schedule will let us attract the best
teachers out there. We will no longer be a job-seeking teacher’s second choice
and that is critical to our work. In addition, we will likely lose fewer
teachers who might work in Sheridan for a few years and then seek out a
position in another district only because they can more easily afford
groceries, the rent, or co-pays on trips to the doctor.
I would submit that teachers should be able to live
comfortably in the communities where they teach. The state increased its
support of K-12 education this year in part because the economy is strong—and
that same strong economy means pricy housing and everything else, too.
Teachers should be able to keep up.
So, thank you board, thank you to the community, and thank
you most of all to our hard-working teachers. Here’s to a strong hiring season
and, please, spread the word!