1
October 9, 2014 VOLU M E 1 1 9 | I S S UE 36 | 7 5 ¢
ElbertCountyNews.net
LOOK FOR IT NEXT WEEK
E L B E R T C O U N T Y, C O L O R A D O
A publication of
Teacher turnover climbing in district
ON THE ATTACK
Low pay, lack of funding make it hard to retain experienced educators By Mike DiFerdinando
mdiferdinando @coloradocommunitymedia.com
Elizabeth sophomore Evan Whitington (13) takes possession of a ball late in the first half of the Cardinals’ Oct. 4 Colorado 7 match against Fort Morgan as the Mustangs’ Jorge Mayorga trails in hot pursuit. Fort Morgan led 1-0 at halftime and went on to a 3-1 victory, dropping the Cardinals to 2-2-0 in league play and 4-8-0 on the year. Photo by Ryan Boldrey
Capitol dome reopens after long renovation POSTAL ADDRESS
Three-year project restores iconic structure By Vic Vela
vvela@coloradocommunitymedia.com
ELBERT COUNTY NEWS (USPS 171-100)
OFFICE: 9137 S. Ridgeline Blvd., Suite 210 Highlands Ranch, CO 80129 PHONE: 303-566-4100 A legal newspaper of general circulation in Elizabeth, Colorado, the Elbert County News is published weekly on Thursday by Colorado Community Media. PERIODICALS POSTAGE PAID AT ELIZABETH, COLORADO and additional mailing offices.
Five words that do not normally go together when talking about a government-backed project are: On time and under budget. But that feat was what state officials were hailing on Oct. 2 as part of a ceremony to mark the reopening of the Capitol dome. A three-year, $17 million restoration project was needed to fix and renovate a 120-year-old dome that has seen weather-caused deterioration over the years. Gov. John Hickenlooper said the project’s success is “a symbol of the resilience of this state.” Dome continues on Page 10
Rick and Erma Kircheis of Belmont, Mich., look out on the city of Denver from the newly reopened Capitol observation deck on Oct. 2. Photos by Vic Vela
POSTMASTER: Send address change to: 9137 S. Ridgeline Blvd., Suite 210 Highlands Ranch, CO 80129 DEADLINES: Display: Thurs. 11 a.m. Legal: Thurs. 11 a.m. | Classified: Mon. 10 a.m. G ET SOCIAL WITH US
When Director of Human Resources Kin Shuman came to Elizabeth Schools in the summer of 2013, he couldn’t believe the number of teachers he needed to replace. “During my first hiring season we had to replace 41 teachers out of 134,” Shuman said. “In my experience, that was a huge number. It prompted us to look into what exactly was going on and everything pointed toward salaries.” According to the district, 155 teachers have left Elizabeth over the past five years. According to the Colorado Department of Education, the average turnover each year for teachers in Colorado is 15 percent. In 2013, the turnover was 30 percent for Elizabeth. Shuman said that budget cuts and a lack of state funding have left the district in a position where it can no longer offer experienced teachers a competitive salary. According to their research, teachers who left Elizabeth for other districts in the state made an average of 26.42 percent more per year in compensation — an average of about $9,000 more per year. Shuman said that the district has turned to hiring many new teachers right out of school. He said they advertise nationally, attend local job fairs and universities and try to entice new hires with personal attention and a family-like atmosphere. “The teachers that we have here love it,” Shuman said. “But no matter how much we offer them in terms of training or what kind of work environment we can create, when the competition can offer experienced teachers 20 percent more per year in salary, there’s not much we can do to combat that.” Shuman also points out that training so many new hires comes with its own expenses. According to the district, Elizabeth Schools has spent $1,133,750 training new teachers over the last five years and would have saved about $350,000 during that time if they were at the lower state average for teacher turnover. It costs $6,250 to recruit, screen and interview each new hire and $1,064 for workplace training, totaling $7,314 per new teacher. Meaning, on average, Elizabeth could have invested $1,686 more in each lost teacher and possibly retained them for the same $9,000, on average, increase in pay they received by leaving the district. Shuman said there is little to no money in the form of grants that could help the district with its turnover issue. However, two proposed tax measures could help provide some relief. Teachers continues on Page 10
TEACHER TURNOVER BY THE NUMBERS
P L EA SE R ECYC L E T H I S C OPY
Visitors can once again look out over the city of Denver from the Capitol now that a three-year restoration project has been completed.
155: Number of teachers who have left Elizabeth since 2008-09 school year. 26.4 : Average percentage increase in salary gained by teachers leaving the district. $6,250: Average amount spent on recruiting, screening and interviewing each new hire.