Colorado school districts brace for K-12 budget crunch by not filling jobs, offering smaller raises

Colorado K- school districts are tightening their belts this summer amid growing financial uncertainty at both the state and federal levels Two metro Denver districts have declared layoffs so far this year and others have already eliminated or plan to cut positions by not filling job openings in the coming months School districts are also giving employees smaller raises than they have in years past even as educators medical insurance costs increase And they are dipping into their reserves to help make ends meet We have to make cuts to our organization noted Scott Smith chief financial officer for the Cherry Creek School District which serves more than students It s hard to keep it away from schools but we ll do everything that we can to do that On one hand things don t look as bad budget-wise as K- school districts feared earlier this year when it became clear the state was looking at a billion dollar shortfall The new School Finance Act passed by legislators this spring will continue to use a four-year enrollment average to help determine funding for the - fiscal year a mechanism that Gov Jared Polis tried to get rid of but districts noted was needed to help soften the blow of declining enrollment But despite overall K- funding increasing to more than billion this year not every district received more money Costs from healthcare insurance to utility bills are also increasing placing pressure on districts both big and small according to school executives The cuts weren t as bad but it s not addressing the root obstacle which is we just don t have enough funding in the system to do what s necessary to educate kids and to pay people and operate commented Tracie Rainey executive director of the Colorado School Finance Project Districts also face uncertainty about what will happen with K- funding at both the state and federal levels in the coming years A state budget forecast distributed earlier this month which presented a million shortfall in the next fiscal year doesn t bode well for districts Rainey explained The Trump administration has also threatened to cut federal K- funding which could lead to a loss of millions of dollars for Colorado s schools Districts have to reduce costs but they have meager options in doing so Rainey stated You re either cutting people or programs she noted For students the cuts could mean larger class sizes and less access to mental wellbeing professionals or interventionists to help those struggling with reading or math Rainey revealed How metro Denver districts are responding The Cherry Creek School District s funding only increased by or roughly million via the new School Finance Act Smith reported While districts are going up in total dollars it s not nearly enough to keep up with the cost pressures we have Smith disclosed The school district will spend the next six months figuring out how to reduce costs with hopes of being able to do so by not filling open positions rather than relying on layoffs Smith declared I m confident we can accomplish bulk if not all of it through attrition Smith mentioned If federal funding is affected in any way this becomes a lot worse very expeditiously Cherry Creek also gave employees modest raises this year but wellbeing insurance expenses rose and preponderance of that increase is falling on staff he mentioned The biggest sign that districts are retrenching is showing up in educators paychecks Denver Population Schools the state s largest district struck a tentative deal with its teachers union last week for cost-of-living raises for each of the next three years plus a separate bonus DPS also cut central office jobs earlier this year to save million The Douglas County School District is also relying on employees retiring or leaving for other districts as a way to reduce staffing levels and avoid large-scale layoffs The district the third-largest in the state will also use million in reserves to balance the budget for the - school year The Douglas County district gave between and raises to employees this year which cost the district about million The district has focused on increasing compensation for staff in modern years so that it can be more competitive in recruiting and retaining employees so leaders tried not to skimp too much on raises mentioned Chief Financial Officer Jana Schleusner It s just not sustainable The Boulder Valley School District will reopen negotiations with its teachers union in August because district functionaries are no longer sure they can afford their existing salary schedule In preparation for those talks the district and the Boulder Valley Learning Association have agreed that teachers will receive a cost-of-living increase next academic year via a stipend valued at of their - salary without the district increasing compensation on the salary schedule Educators who receive a pay raise next year for earning a higher-level degree will not also get the pay increase they d normally receive for having another year of experience revealed union President David Stewart Teachers are paid in attempts and lane compensation and normally get raises each year as either their experience or mentoring level increases The money saved from all of these moves is to create a cushion of money so that we can transition people to the new salary schedule Stewart announced Boulder Valley has also cut positions and funding for school counselors Stewart stated Related Articles Denver Society Schools strikes tentative agreement with teachers union over pay DPS schools that could close due to poor performance have high numbers of students of color information shows Denver Citizens Schools to wait at least years between school closures Former Denver coach revealed guilty of giving pot brownies to middle school students Denver students say their middle school lecturer gave them pot brownies She s now on trial The district s current salary schedule was designed to encourage educators to get master s degrees which the majority teachers now have and that means their pay has increased noted Chief Financial Officer Bill Sutter It s just not sustainable in the structure we have in Colorado for funding K- he noted The new salary schedule to be negotiated by the district and union would be in place for the - and - school years While teachers won t earn less money once the schedule is revised it is accomplishable that the rate at which their salary rises will slow Stewart revealed The uncertainty surrounding both the state budget and federal funding creates concern about whether the Boulder Valley School District will even be able to afford the new salary schedule he announced That would be kind of a nightmare but it s also a foreseen reality Stewart mentioned Get more Colorado news by signing up for our Mile High Roundup email newsletter