Getting to a $60K Minimum Teacher Salary in Westminster School District, Colorado
National Landscape
Our schools are facing a workforce crisis. Nationally, there are 36,500 teacher vacancies, with another 163,500 unqualified individuals filling teaching positions (Nguyen, 2022). Teacher preparation program enrollment is down by one-third between 2010 and 2018 (Partelow, 2019). Sadly, 62% of parents do not want their children to become teachers, up from 30% in 2009 and the worst level ever since these data were first collected in 1969; the top reason for turning their backs to teaching is low salaries (PDK, 2022). Below we outline how one school district, Baker School District in rural Oregon, is turning this around through $60,000 minimum teacher salaries.
Westminster School District’s $61,000 Minimum Teacher Salary Policy
Westminster School District is an urban district located in the northern outskirts of metropolitan Denver, Colorado. The district is home to 16 PK-12 schools (and an online academy), 8,320 students, and 552 teachers. The student population is 76% Hispanic (and 85% non-white); approximately 76% of students in Westminster are eligible for free-and-reduced-priced lunch.
In Westminster, providing a $61,000 starting teacher salary was not a recent decision but rather the natural progression following a sustained commitment to livable, competitive teacher compensation. Before assuming her role at the helm, district superintendent Pamela Swanson served in a variety of district leadership roles in the district over the past 28 years and observed this commitment firsthand. She notes that Westminster is not a wealthy district, but has a long-standing philosophical commitment to paying teachers (and all employees) competitively.
Superintendent Swanson and the wider district leadership believe that investing in the district’s human capital, specifically in talented staff at every level of employment, is the most impactful way to support student achievement. The district then supports this philosophical commitment to professional compensation with consistent budget decisions that back it up, namely by allocating a large percent of their limited pot of resources toward the salaries they believe are needed to attract and retain the staff they need and want.
The district also recognizes the complexity of teachers’ work and the extent of demands placed upon their teachers. For example, as the nation’s largest competency-based district, there is an expectation on staff to understand their students’ progress at a very granular level in each subject area in order to pick up where they left off each year, with many students beginning school quite far behind. The time, training, and skill required for teachers to deliver this level of differentiation, alongside many other demands on their time, are respected and recognized through the district’s commitment to professional compensation. For over a decade now, the district has been among the highest paying in Colorado (and the #1 highest paying district several years).
Every 5-7 years the district approaches a new salary “milestone.” In 2007 it was “$40K/$80K,” meaning the minimum starting salary was $40,000 and teachers’ highest earnings potential $80,000. After several incremental increases, these minimums were elevated to “$50K/$100K” in 2019. In 2023, the salary milestone was “$60K/$120K.” Specifically, the minimum salary rose to $60,935 and the maximum rose to $116,596 in 2023-24 and $120,094 in 2024-25. When the district reaches a salary milestone, they issue a press release and advertise their pay in their district newsletter to make sure the community and prospective educators across the region are aware of their commitment to supporting teachers.
Westminster values having a highly educated teaching force. As such, their pay scale is skewed toward rewarding teachers that invest in their education. The number of steps is shorter for teachers with a Bachelor’s only (meaning these teachers will max out their salary sooner in their careers) and longer as teachers’ education and training increases, such that more highly educated teachers not only move to higher paying lanes on the salary schedule but also are able to continue earning step increases for their experience. Table 1. shows the Westminster School District salary schedule.
Exp (Yrs) |
BA |
BA+15 |
BA+30 |
BA+45 |
MA |
MA+60 |
MA+75 |
MA+90 |
Doc |
Value |
60,935 |
61,581 |
62,804 |
63,758 |
67,784 |
80,538 |
88,591 |
96,647 |
96,647 |
1 |
60,935 |
62,348 |
63,474 |
64,562 |
68,459 |
81,546 |
89,596 |
97,650 |
97,650 |
2 |
60,935 |
62,948 |
64,150 |
65,373 |
69,132 |
82,548 |
90,602 |
98,662 |
98,662 |
3 |
60,935 |
63,553 |
64,817 |
66,173 |
69,800 |
83,558 |
91,611 |
99,668 |
99,668 |
4 |
60,935 |
64,164 |
65,486 |
66,979 |
70,468 |
84,565 |
92,620 |
100,674 |
100,674 |
5 |
60,935 |
64,783 |
66,162 |
67,788 |
71,141 |
85,573 |
93,626 |
101,679 |
101,679 |
6 |
65,406 |
66,833 |
68,596 |
71,812 |
86,576 |
94,628 |
102,686 |
102,686 |
|
7 |
67,500 |
69,397 |
72,480 |
87,586 |
95,640 |
103,691 |
103,691 |
||
8 |
68,176 |
70,206 |
73,154 |
88,587 |
96,646 |
104,697 |
104,697 |
||
9 |
68,844 |
71,007 |
73,824 |
89,596 |
97,649 |
105,703 |
105,703 |
||
10 |
69,513 |
72,485 |
74,497 |
90,604 |
98,658 |
106,707 |
106,707 |
||
11 |
70,184 |
73,960 |
75,170 |
91,613 |
99,667 |
107,715 |
107,715 |
||
12 |
70,862 |
74,700 |
75,922 |
92,529 |
100,674 |
108,725 |
108,725 |
||
13 |
75,448 |
76,682 |
93,454 |
101,682 |
109,812 |
109,812 |
|||
14 |
102,698 |
110,910 |
114,299 |
||||||
15 |
103,725 |
112,020 |
115,442 |
||||||
16+ |
116,596 |
Table 1. 2023-24 Salary Scale
When recruiting teachers, it is not just the milestone salaries but the total rewards package that is the district’s biggest selling point. This includes stipends for longevity, stipends for additional certifications, relocation stipends, and hard-to-fill position stipends. For instance, once a teacher has 20 years of experience, they receive an additional $2,000 per year. Likewise, WPS is working closely with noted educator Robert Marzano to create High Reliability Schools in the district, to be further supported by teachers who receive certification as High Reliability Teachers. Certification for teachers is a rigorous process in which teachers focus on continuous improvement while receiving detailed feedback on improvement strategies. There are three levels to certification with teachers receiving a $1,000 stipend after completion of each level. WPS also offers teacher stipends for teachers who lead learning initiatives in their buildings and help to develop proficiency scales used in the district’s Competency Based System. The district also provides stipends to student teachers of $1000 per semester as part of their grow-your-own program.
Enabling Conditions and Challenges
Superintendent Swanson describes four conditions that have helped Westminster School District achieve these salary levels. The first is a supportive community. Over the past 15 years of committing to teacher salaries, there has been no real pushback or negative feedback from the community. Their community has a general understanding that teacher pay lags behind other professions that require comparable levels of education. In part, this community awareness stems from Colorado’s history. During the 2008 recession, the state held back a percentage of district funding as part of a budget stabilization effort. The issue of teacher pay and school funding more generally received a lot of media coverage throughout these lean years. While districts are now receiving these funds again, the public’s awareness of and commitment to teacher recruitment and retention remain. The COVID-19 pandemic further brought to light for the community the complexity of teachers’ work.
A second factor that has helped Westminster is the shared commitment to teachers and collaborative working style held by the school board, the superintendent, the administrative team, the teachers’ association, and the wider population of teachers. Specifically, these parties have achieved high levels of trust, particularly through strong levels of communication. The school board genuinely cares about their staff; they are not afraid to have hard conversations where different parties advocate for different points of view. There is an underlying appreciation for the fact that all parties are trying to move the district’s performance forward, even if there are areas of disagreement.
These relationships and trust are seen as vital. They are aided by sustained leadership; the association leadership and district leadership have a strong, long-standing history. They are also aided by honesty; in leaner years, the district is upfront about the limitations of what it can provide staff, while doing its best to show staff they are valued and appreciated, and in less lean years the district follows up with delivering on what they could not in the leaner years. They are transparent about why they cannot provide the raises they would like to provide in these lean years, and they demonstrate their commitment to doing more by advocating with state lawmakers to make state budgeting decisions that will allow them to best educate the district’s students. This persistence and transparency builds trust and allows all parties to engage with honesty and to continue to build trust even during more challenging financial times.
A third enabling condition for Westminster’s push to exceed $60,000 minimum teacher salaries, though an undesirable one, is the statewide teacher shortage. A survey by the Colorado Education Association found that 85% of teachers report the shortage of classroom teachers is worse than in previous years. This raw labor market reality makes the case for more competitive teacher salaries that will attract a larger supply of teachers.
A final enabling condition in Westminster is a 2018 mill levy override. When the community approved this override they promised taxpayers that they would focus on recruiting and retaining high-quality education staff. There was much discussion at the time about how schools can have all the technology, books, and manipulatives in the world, but it will all be for naught if there is not a high-quality, committed teacher to support children in using the tools they have. The district’s $61,000 starting salaries deliver on the 2018 community commitment to a well-paid teaching force.
Impact and Advice for Other Leaders
As a result of the district’s emphasis on staff compensation, Westminster has a highly educated teaching force with more than 74% of teachers having a masters degree or higher. WPS stresses that students and teachers should be “lifelong learners” and incentivises teachers to continue their education. The district believes that the profession is always growing and teachers should be up to speed on current research surrounding educational approaches and student motivations and behaviors. Teacher turnover is 13%, compared to a national average of 20% for under-served schools.
According to Superintendent Swanson, other districts looking to elevate teacher salaries must begin with relationships. These simply are paramount. She also emphasizes the importance of building a positive narrative about the education profession. She believes “Education is the cornerstone of our democracy, and we are only as strong as our teachers.” And so, as a district leader, she invests in making this belief a reality.
Enabling Conditions and Challenges
Superintendent Swanson describes four conditions that have helped Westminster School District achieve these salary levels. The first is a supportive community. Over the past 15 years of committing to teacher salaries, there has been no real pushback or negative feedback from the community. Their community has a general understanding that teacher pay lags behind other professions that require comparable levels of education. In part, this community awareness stems from Colorado’s history. During the 2008 recession, the state held back a percentage of district funding as part of a budget stabilization effort. The issue of teacher pay and school funding more generally received a lot of media coverage throughout these lean years. While districts are now receiving these funds again, the public’s awareness of and commitment to teacher recruitment and retention remain. The COVID-19 pandemic further brought to light for the community the complexity of teachers’ work.
A second factor that has helped Westminster is the shared commitment to teachers and collaborative working style held by the school board, the superintendent, the administrative team, the teachers’ association, and the wider population of teachers. Specifically, these parties have achieved high levels of trust, particularly through strong levels of communication. The school board genuinely cares about their staff; they are not afraid to have hard conversations where different parties advocate for different points of view. There is an underlying appreciation for the fact that all parties are trying to move the district’s performance forward, even if there are areas of disagreement.
These relationships and trust are seen as vital. They are aided by sustained leadership; the association leadership and district leadership have a strong, long-standing history. They are also aided by honesty; in leaner years, the district is upfront about the limitations of what it can provide staff, while doing its best to show staff they are valued and appreciated, and in less lean years the district follows up with delivering on what they could not in the leaner years. They are transparent about why they cannot provide the raises they would like to provide in these lean years, and they demonstrate their commitment to doing more by advocating with state lawmakers to make state budgeting decisions that will allow them to best educate the district’s students. This persistence and transparency builds trust and allows all parties to engage with honesty and to continue to build trust even during more challenging financial times.
A third enabling condition for Westminster’s push to exceed $60,000 minimum teacher salaries, though an undesirable one, is the statewide teacher shortage. A survey by the Colorado Education Association found that 85% of teachers report the shortage of classroom teachers is worse than in previous years. This raw labor market reality makes the case for more competitive teacher salaries that will attract a larger supply of teachers.
A final enabling condition in Westminster is a 2018 mill levy override. When the community approved this override they promised taxpayers that they would focus on recruiting and retaining high-quality education staff. There was much discussion at the time about how schools can have all the technology, books, and manipulatives in the world, but it will all be for naught if there is not a high-quality, committed teacher to support children in using the tools they have. The district’s $61,000 starting salaries deliver on the 2018 community commitment to a well-paid teaching force.
Impact and Advice for Other Leaders
As a result of the district’s emphasis on staff compensation, Westminster has a highly educated teaching force with more than 74% of teachers having a masters degree or higher. WPS stresses that students and teachers should be “lifelong learners” and incentivises teachers to continue their education. The district believes that the profession is always growing and teachers should be up to speed on current research surrounding educational approaches and student motivations and behaviors. Teacher turnover is 13%, compared to a national average of 20% for under-served schools.
According to Superintendent Swanson, other districts looking to elevate teacher salaries must begin with relationships. These simply are paramount. She also emphasizes the importance of building a positive narrative about the education profession. She believes “Education is the cornerstone of our democracy, and we are only as strong as our teachers.” And so, as a district leader, she invests in making this belief a reality.