Westminster Public Schools will pay teachers more than anywhere else in Colorado

Westminster Public Schools will soon pay teachers higher than anywhere else in Colorado. The hope is that higher salaries will attract and retain the best teachers. It's thanks to a new two-year contract between the district and the teacher's union, expected to be ratified Tuesday. 

"Those first five years of burnout and being able to retain teachers is so high," said second-year Westminster teacher Maureen Bangsund. The high school teacher knows the struggle new teachers face all too well. 

"I think it creates a lot of emotional toil, just because they're so passionate about it, they love it, they're in it for all those great reasons, but at the end of the day it is still a job that needs to be supported so they can go home and pay those bills," Bangsund said. 

Nationwide, fewer teachers are entering the profession, amid high inflation and cost of living. 

"It costs some money to be able to support yourself in our metro area in these times," said Dr. Pamela Swanson, Superintendent of Westminster Public Schools. She says that's why WPS is increasing teacher pay. 

"In the early 2000s, we were training a lot of great teachers and then they would go work somewhere else and so that's really where the philosophy about what we're doing today started," said Swanson. 

Starting in July, first-year teachers will earn $60,935, the highest in the state. Current teachers will receive a 3% pay increase along with one tied to continued education. Under the new contract, teachers with a doctorate could earn up to $120,000. 

The funding comes in large part thanks to a mill levy override passed by voters in 2018. 

"One of our promises to our community was to recruit and retain quality teachers," said Swanson. 

It's a decision that's unsurprisingly popular with teachers like Bangsund. 

"I feel very invested in, I feel very supported," Bangsund said. 

But it's also one the district says will benefit students. 

"Student outcomes are shown to be better when they have strong relationships with the staff that they work with," Bangsund said, "that retention of teachers is important for staff morale, student moral, and overall climate and culture."