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Week of February 9, 2023
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DENVER, COLORADO
A publication of
VOLUME 96 | ISSUE 12
Our in-depth look at the housing crisis
State of education report finds teachers in need of more support BY ALISON BERG ROCKY MOUNTAIN PBS
middle-income people live where they work. But as cities and towns contend with historically high home costs and a lack of supply, residents like Laney have struggled to live in their communities. “I’ve always felt like I was just passing through instead of living somewhere, putting down roots,” said Laney. He has worked
Survey results conducted by the largest educator’s union in Colorado paint a bleak picture of how most educators feel in their jobs. The Colorado Education Association recently surveyed around 1,600 public educators in the state and found their main concerns were lack of investment in the education system, disrespecting their professional experience and feeling unsafe at work. Those issues were more pronounced for LGBTQ+ educators, who said they felt particularly unsafe existing authentically at work. Education association leadership members presented the report in a press conference last week they called “State of Education,” mimicking the nationwide “State of the Union,” address. “Respecting our educators as experts means centering our voices in legislation that affects our work,” said Amie Baca-Oehlert, a high school counselor and president of the Colorado Education Association. “We need to be asking our educators who do the job every day what is needed.” Baca-Oehlert said the COVID-19 pandemic, skyrocketing costs of living with wages that haven’t kept up, an increase in school shootings and politicization of the classroom have all pushed teachers out of the profession. Most survey respondents pointed to low pay as their primary reason for leaving the profession. An average teacher’s salary in Colorado is
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High home prices, lack of supply sever metro residents from communities Low- and middle-income people struggle to live where they work BY ROBERT TANN COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA
When Chris Laney moved into his new three-bedroom home last INSIDE: CALENDAR: PAGE 7 | VOICES: PAGE 8
summer, he felt like he’d won the lottery. After more than a decade of chasing the cheapest rent across the metro area, the Littleton bartender finally has a house to call his own. “I almost feel guilty that I have it,” said Laney, 49. Laney is one of a handful of residents who have secured housing through a subsidized program aimed at helping lower- and
FROM JAPAN TO DENVER: Kodo taiko to perform at Newman Center
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