Lewis-Palmer School District proposes property tax hike for teacher salaries

Oct. 9—Stephanie Markle, a social studies teacher at Palmer Ridge High School, is straddling a fence between an occupation she loves and other, better-paying jobs. And she's not sure where she's going to land.

"I have such a passion for teaching," Markle told The Gazette. "I love Palmer Ridge, and I love our students. But I don't know if I'm going to stay."

Markle and many of her Lewis-Palmer School District 38 colleagues are currently grappling with an inverse relationship between academic performance and teacher pay. The Monument-based district has consistently been one of the highest-achieving in the state, yet its teacher salaries rank among Colorado's lowest.

Since the Colorado Department of Education instituted its "Accreditation with Distinction" designation in 2009, Lewis-Palmer has been one of just four Colorado districts to earn that title every year. State performance frameworks show that D-38 ranked in the 94th percentile this year.

But the district's starting teacher salary, according to its pay schedule, is about $38,000 a year, making it the lowest-paying district in the region.

Academy School D-20 and Cheyenne Mountain School D-12, which have also earned "Accreditation with Distinction" every year since 2009, show a starting teacher salary of about $45,000 a year.

"Why would (teachers) stay here when they can go a few miles south, or a few miles north, and make $7,000 more a year, or more?" said Markle, an Air Force veteran. "I won't name names, because I don't want to get anyone in trouble, but every teacher I've talked to is considering their options."

"We want to fix that," D-38 Board of Education Director Ron Schwarz said of the pay disparity. "And we don't want to put a Band-Aid on the wound. We want to cure the illness."

The cure, officials say, is in the hands of the district's stakeholders.

Last month, the district's school board voted unanimously to place a proposed tax increase, solely for teacher and staff salaries, on the November ballot. If approved, it would put teacher pay on par with other districts in the region and make it easier to attract and maintain staff, officials said.

Superintendent K.C. Somers said staff turnover is at nearly 30%, and the comparatively low teacher salary is a primary reason teachers are leaving. Many of those educators are moving to better-paying districts in the Pikes Peak region.

"Surrounding districts are our peers, but they're also our competitors," Somers said. "If our teachers are looking at a district to the north or south that offers thousands more per year to do the same job, of course some of them are going to at least think about leaving."

District officials and staff members agree that, over the years, Lewis-Palmer has developed a culture and atmosphere that makes teachers want to stay. But culture doesn't pay the bills, and for many teachers, atmosphere might not be enough to keep them in the district.

"It used to be that once we got teachers here, the culture and the atmosphere would keep them here," said Lewis-Palmer High School Principal Bridget O'Connor. "Now, our starting base (salary) is so low that we have trouble bringing in new teachers, and a lot of the teachers we have are looking elsewhere."

Teachers and community members have spoken passionately in favor of a pay raise at board meetings, but the measure is not without its opponents.

Sprinkled about the Monument community, among the myriad of campaign signs, are placards asking residents to vote "No" on the measure. One sign, which calls the measure a slush fund, reads, "No one likes sequels."

Critics of the measure say it increases the tax burden on Monument homeowners, with no "sunset clause," which means the measure would remain in effect in perpetuity.

"(Opponents of the measure) have a point," said D-38 spokesman Mark Belcher. "No one likes to pay taxes, and this increase would only put us in the middle of the pack as far as teacher salaries are concerned. But we're not looking to be the highest-paying district in the region. We're just trying to be competitive."

"It's the right thing to do," said O'Connor, whose father taught at Lewis-Palmer High School for 30 years. "And this community can afford it."

According to estimates from the El Paso County Assessor's Office, the average privately owned Monument property is valued at about $500,000. The proposed tax increase would be just under $52 per year per $100,000 of property value, for an average tax increase of about $260 per year.

While acknowledging that a tax hike is not the ideal fix, officials said it's an affordable and just solution for a district that has done more with less for years.

"We have performed tremendously, and we haven't asked the stakeholders for any money," Schwarz said. "And we've been fiscally responsible."

Schwarz cited the district's partnership with Schneider Electric to develop an energy management program that will save nearly $10 million in future utility costs as proof of its solid financial stewardship. Additionally, by refinancing its existing bonds, the district will save taxpayers $1.9 million through the 2029-2030 academic year, officials said.

"This measure is expressly and solely for teacher and staff compensation," Schwarz said. "Not for principals, not for the superintendent, and not for administrators. Just teachers and staff."

People who enter the teaching profession aren't looking to strike it rich. But for a staff that has consistently proven itself to be among the best in the state, a competitive wage is the least the district and community can do, officials said.

"Our teachers deserve everything that we can possibly give, and then some," Somers said. "And that includes a salary that supports quality of life."

If approved, the tax increase could make the difference to a teacher considering his or her options, Markle said.

"Incentives aren't the reason most of us got into teaching, but they matter," she said. "I don't want to leave Lewis-Palmer. I love it here. But I might not have a choice."