Boulder Valley School District offers buyouts to veteran teachers, prioritizes lower salary hires amid budget cuts

Negotiations are underway in the Boulder Valley School District over a new teacher salary structure.

The district currently has the highest average teacher pay in Colorado, with salaries nearing $100,000, which is roughly $20,000 above the state average. Boulder County also remains one of the most expensive places to live in Colorado. But district leaders say maintaining that level of compensation amid tighter budgets and declining enrollment is becoming increasingly difficult.

District officials say the changes are part of a broader effort to address budget challenges. According to the district, about 46% of teachers are currently at the top of the pay scale (MA+60), earning between $92,814 and $129,589 per year. At the same time, the district reports that roughly 90% of the district's budget is spent on salaries, with most of that on teachers.

Superintendent Rob Anderson said those costs are becoming unsustainable, especially as enrollment declines.

"We're having to make tough decisions, and the budget decisions and the decline in enrollment because of demographic shifts and lower birth rates is something that we're all navigating," Anderson said.

To reduce costs, the district is prioritizing hiring newer, lower-cost teachers. About 60 educators have already accepted $15,000 buyouts, according to the district. The new salary structure would also raise new teacher starting salaries while also, in some cases, cutting veteran teacher salaries. 

"As budgets get tighter… we have to look everywhere. This is an effort to reinvest money into the salary schedule, to not only maintain this, but to be able to continue to pay cost-of-living adjustments," Anderson said.

This prioritization of new teachers was agreed upon in a Memorandum of Understanding between Boulder Valley School District and Boulder Valley Education Association in January, but some teachers say they were only informed of the change this month. BVEA told CBS Colorado they "could always do a better job communicating," but are still working to advocate for the needs of teachers as they negotiate future salary structures.

Some teachers worry the shift could come at the expense of students. One veteran teacher of more than 20 years spoke to CBS Colorado on the condition of anonymity out of fear of retaliation.

"When you have a health concern or something, you want to go to the best of the best," the teacher said, "It's the same with teaching. In order for kids to get their best education, you need to have the best educators possible, and that comes with experience."

The district says it is also making cuts beyond teacher salaries, including at least $1 million in reductions at the central office.

"I do think that we are looking everywhere, and we'll continue to do that to try to create the efficiencies that we need to drive the dollars into the schools where they belong," Anderson said.

As negotiations wrap up, the teachers' union says an agreement is expected by Thursday.

In the meantime, the district is actively interviewing candidates for new teaching positions, with priority hiring for new teachers continuing through May 8. Veteran teachers are expected to re-enter the hiring pool after that date.

For now, some longtime educators say they hope district leaders reconsider how the changes could impact those who have spent years in the classroom.

"I'm all about giving opportunity to newer teachers, but not at the cost of devaluing others' experiences and expertise," the teacher said.