Title: Dollars and Data: A Look at K-12 Education Funding in Colorado | Common Sense Institute
Headings: Dollars and Data: A Look at K-12 Education Funding in Colorado
Dollars and Data: A Look at K-12 Education Funding in Colorado
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Here are some of the key findings from this study.
POLICY IMPLICATIONS
METHODOLOGY
STATE CONTEXT
SCHOOL FINANCE ACT
SCHOOL FINANCE FUNDING SUMMARY
STUDENT POPULATION TRENDS
TRENDS IN EDUCATION REVENUE
LOCAL FUNDING
TAX TERMS
TRENDS IN EDUCATION SPENDING
INSTRUCTION AND SUPPORT EXPENDITURES
EXPENDITURE EXAMPLES
TRENDS IN TEACHER SALARIES AND TURNOVER
TEACHER SALARIES
ADMINISTRATOR SALARIES
TEACHER TURNOVER
TEACHER SALARY AND TURNOVER SUMMARY
CONCLUSION
APPENDIX A: LIST OF SCHOOL DISTRICTS BY REGION
APPENDIX B: PER PUPIL REVENUES BY SCHOOL DISTRICT, 2017
APPENDIX C: MILL LEVY OVERRIDES BY SCHOOL DISTRICT, 2017
APPENDIX D: PER PUPIL EXPENDITURES BY SCHOOL DISTRICT, 2017

Content: A state report estimates that teacher salaries in 95 percent of the state’s rural districts are below their area’s cost of living. Within regions, salaries also vary immensely. Boulder Valley School District is at the high end of the metro region with average salaries of $72,994. Less than an hour east of Boulder, average salaries are $24,400 lower in School District 27J, which serves students in Brighton and parts of Thornton and Commerce City. At the same time, teacher turnover is low in comparison to other jobs. Despite the rhetoric that teachers are fleeing the profession due to low pay, pressure from state tests, or other factors, the data in this study shows a different picture. Overall, in 2017, teacher turnover was 16.9 percent. When looking all public education positions in the state, turnover that same year was 20.5 percent. An even starker difference is seen when considering that turnover for all jobs—public and private—was 48 percent in Colorado in 2017. Further, only 2.3 percent of teachers responding to a statewide survey in 2017 stated they planned to leave the field of education that year.3 In sum, teacher turnover in Colorado is drastically lower than in most other professions.