Garfield Re-2 School Board approves 6% increase for teachers and staff

At the May 22, 2024 school board meeting, the Board unanimously voted to approve an overall six-percent raise for teachers and staff amounting to a $2.573 million investment in Garfield Re-2 employees for the 2024-25 school year. The pay raise includes a four-percent increase to the base rate of all teaching and classified positions as well as provide a two-percent step increase, bringing the total increase to six percent overall. Administrators will not see an increase to their base rate of pay, and will receive the two-percent increase in salary for the next school year.

The approval is based upon the recommendation from the District’s negotiating body, Collaborative Solutions. The group is made up of teachers, classified staff and administrators and meet monthly throughout the school year. Collaborative Solutions (CS) negotiates the academic calendars, benefits and salary improvements for Garfield Re-2 and brings recommendations to the School Board to review and approve.

The Board debated the merits of different salary increase percentages and the associated risks and benefits. They also discussed future revenue sources to continue improving the salaries of educators as part of the strategic plan goals around recruiting and retaining staff.

“I just want to make it clear that we wish we could do more,” said Garfield Re-2 School Board President Britton Fletchall. “I hope that everybody would know our heart and that if we had an endless fund balance, we would do more.”

The Board ultimately decided to approve the six-percent salary increase as proposed by Collaborative Solutions, recognizing the need to balance staff support with fiscal responsibility.

Staff compensation was just part of the financial conversation for the School Board. Jeff Blanford, acting Chief Financial Officer and Jason Lynch, Controller, offered the first look at the 2024-25 budget that will see about $67.5 million in revenues. This would be an increase of about $1.3 million from last year including a substantial increase in funding from the State of Colorado; however, it also includes the end of Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds. 

These funds were used to invest in strategies to support students, families, and educators in responding to the impacts of the pandemic. The last round of dollars, ESSER III were specifically used to assist in learning loss. For the 2024-25 school year, this is a decrease in about $2.9 million.

The Board will continue to engage in budget conversations prior to the final approval at the June 26 School Board Meeting.