Title: Colorado Teaching Salaries and Benefits | Teaching-Certification.com
Headings: Colorado Teaching Salaries and Benefits
Colorado Teaching Salaries and Benefits
Teacher Salaries in Colorado by Education
Retiring in Colorado
Access to Affordable Health Insurance

Content: Experience
Bachelor's
Master's
At 3 years
$37,938
$41,811
At 6 years
$38,709
$45,333
At 9 years
$43,799
$51,164
At 12 years
$49,618
$58,020
Source: Denver Public School District
Retiring in Colorado
In Colorado, most teachers belong to the Public Employee Retirement Association (PERA). PERA was established in 1931 and serves more than 480,000 Colorado employees through a defined benefit plan. Considering that the Colorado PERA distributed nearly $3 billion in benefits to public employees in 2011, this pension fund must be bolstered by both employer and employee contributions to remain sustainable. Teachers contribute 8% of their monthly salaries to the PERA pension fund, while school districts contribute an additional 15.65% of their total employee payroll. Public employers become eligible to receive benefits from PERA upon normal retirement. Normal retirement is based on a combination of age and years of experience: At any age with 35 years of service
At 58 with 30 years of service
At 65 with any amount of service
In a defined benefit plan, teachers receive monthly benefits upon retirement based on a formula that combines their highest average salaries, age, and years of service. The formula is set by the Colorado legislature, and is subject to change. Because the formula takes into account factors that vary based on your specific situation, the PERA offers a benefit calculator to estimate your monthly pension.