With the November 8 election in the rearview mirror, Lewis-Palmer School District 38 leadership, including the Board of Education, are focused on moving forward from ballot issue 4A with the goal of continuing to address teacher and support staff compensation within district constraints; while still engaging the community at large with additional discussion, and sharing of contextual and factual information.
In visits to school sites, as well as the Board of Education meeting on Nov. 14, district leadership said all options are on the table, especially as D38 considers actions that can be taken in terms of improving pay, rewarding staff time and strengthening culture.
“We’ve shown over the past few months that district spending is tight, our waste is low, and our leadership team is lean. Through countless hours of presentations, community engagement sessions and more, we feel we made the case that an investment in teachers and support staff is the right thing for our community,” said KC Somers, D38 Superintendent. “Moving forward, we must continue to partner with our community, as the Tri-Lakes region deserves the best schools, and the best schools reward their staff with a competitive and livable wage.”
Following the first report of counted ballots on the evening of Nov. 8, the outcome of ballot issue 4A – which if passed would have established a $5.6 million dollar Mill Levy Override dedicated to increasing teacher and support staff pay in District-operated and Monument Academy schools – was clear. In the days to follow, a trend of 52% “no” to 48% “yes” stabilized, with 11,598 no votes and 10,664 yes votes counted as of November 11.
In response to the outcome of 4A, Board of Education Vice President Theresa Phillips said, “Our board has worked over the past 18 months towards increasing compensation to parity. We’re simply talking about adequate compensation. We are and we will continue to work toward a long-term sustainable solution. We need to continue to converse about the necessary and very challenging next steps. We need to have hard conversations, and we will.”
Tiffiney Upchurch, Board of Education Secretary, called for the Board of Education and district’s administration to explore new action in collaboration with the community while understanding that the district will continue to face funding constraints due to the state funding formula.
In discussing possible next steps, Somers called the issue complex and said there are a few different avenues associated with addressing compensation and retention for teachers and support staff, which will remain the district’s highest need.
One opportunity, he said, would be identifying existing funds and making difficult decisions on how those funds may be divided. In the long term, Somers said the district needs to identify ongoing funding to make an impact, but district officials will explore near-term options, too. Any increased funding that the Governor of Colorado proposed for all school districts in his preliminary budget for the 23-24 school year would almost exclusively be earmarked for teacher and support staff compensation. Other outcomes will be explored through surveys, committees and more as time unfolds.
In addition to monetary compensation, Somers said there are ways the district may think creatively about time, including a potential 4-day school week, and other ways time can be given back to staff, including on PLC days, paid leave and more.
Finally, the district will continue to consider the culture of D38, both through school-led culture initiatives and the district’s strategic plan.
“If I were to speak on behalf of a number of staff right now, there’s absolutely a feeling of how bad does it get before it gets better? We know we will continue to struggle with the retention of employees. As much as we can try to think outside the box and do creative things, the reality is that there is a choice our employees make in that process.”
Somers said the district will lean into, not shy away from, the hard conversations, especially in the weeks to come. In a soon-to-launch survey, the district hopes to develop potential solutions, as well as understand the positions of families and staff. He also noted that as several committees reconvene over the rest of the semester, innovative solutions will be explored.
“We’re going to find ways to address compensation as much as we can. It’s not going to be equal to what we asked for with 4A, but we will do something. We have to. It’s the right thing to do,” said Chris Taylor, Board of Education President.