Dear Editor,

The Gilpin County School District Board of Education passed a resolution in support of the Mill Levy Override Question 4A on the November 3, 2020 ballot.

As a career public school educator with decades of experience recruiting teachers for Preschool through Grade 12 schools, I am well aware of the need for a school district to offer a competitive salary so an effective teacher can not only be recruited, but also be able to be retained as a long-term employee. Teachers need to be paid a salary that will allow them to meet housing, food, and fuel costs in today’s economy. The current GCSD starting salary of $35,117 is inadequate to sustain a viable existence for a teacher to meet her/his basic needs. 

Without a “yes” approval vote for Question 4A, the only way to increase teacher salaries is to reduce the number of teachers. By reducing teaching staff, money can be reallocated to increase the salaries of the teachers who remain employed. The reduction of the number of teaching staff will cause class size students will be an injustice to the students. Today, students need a more personalized approach to their education to be successful either in college or in today’s workforce. 

A “yes” vote will support the GCSD community by increasing teacher salaries so effective teachers may be recruited and retained to benefit students. A “yes” vote will also keep more effective teachers in the classrooms, keeping class sizes low in student number. 

Supporting the GCSD Board of Education Mill Levy Override Question 4A on the November 3, 2020 ballot is a “Yes for Gilpin Kids.”

Sincerely,

David S. MacKenzie
Black Hawk