Public Comment to the Board of Education
June 20, 2017
Maria Lauer
Good evening. My name is Maria Lauer, and I am speaking on behalf of Douglas County Parents. DCP remains extremely concerned about the level of teacher turnover in Douglas County School District, due in part to the comparatively low salaries we offer our teachers. The proposed 2% average increase is an insult to the teachers who work so very hard every day for our children.
On January 17th, members of this board suggested a second year of 20% bonuses for a select few upper administrators. That amount was lowered to 10% before the final 4-3 vote. That same evening, our inexperienced, unlicensed interim superintendent also received a retention bonus (after 3 months of service) from this board without a single performance evaluation. The following day, with no warning, high school administrators learned that their budgets would be once again reduced, due to an increase in what they were being charged by the district for teachers.
It is interesting to note that Interim Superintendent Kane’s contract says “The actual bonus paid to the Superintendent may be adjusted by the Board of Education following its assessment of the overall financial circumstances of the district.”
We recently learned that the Boulder Valley School District Board of Education has delayed voting on a proposed 2.8% increase for their teachers while they question whether the salaries of their top administrators are too high. A BVSD board member has asked the district to complete a market survey in order to determine whether or not the superintendent’s cabinet should receive raises. Has such a study been conducted or even considered in Douglas County? Reform board members brag about DCSD instituting market-based pay for teachers (which we all know was not based on any market research), but we have never heard talk of actual market based pay for administrators, or any market research at all.
There is a saying that your budget reflects your values. Please show us that you value students by restoring the high school budgets. Please show us that you truly value teachers, by prioritizing their pay over that of a handful of administrators.