One of the pressing education issues that Colorado lawmakers set out to tackle this session was the so-called teacher shortage. Colorado faces the same shortages of science and math teachers that other states do.
Rural districts, where salaries are often low, have a hard time hiring even elementary school teachers. At the same time, the number of students entering educator preparation programs has declined 24 percent in the last five years, and many new teachers wash out of the profession in their first five years.
The 2018-19 budget includes $10 million to chip away at these problems. These bills make $3 million available as grants to school districts and charter schools to craft their own incentives and $2 million to develop cooperative programs between school districts, charter schools, and teacher preparation programs. They also make financial assistance available to student teachers and those just starting out in exchange for commitments to remain with a district for a certain amount of time.
