The Dolores School District Board of Education voted in a June special meeting to raise its teacher base pay with the goal of attracting new teachers and ensuring competitiveness with neighboring districts.
The board is also moving forward with plans for a new track for the district’s track and field athletes, which along with base pay has been discussed over the course of multiple school board meetings this year.
In a conversation with Dolores Superintendent Alesa Reed, Reed provided additional insight into both initiatives.
In a special meeting on June 22, which was scheduled to approve the budget before the state deadline of June 30, the Dolores school board approved increasing the base pay. The increase affects certified staff, principals and directors.
The previous base pay for teachers was $41,571.50 and is now $46,500, making the district more competitive with neighboring districts Montezuma-Cortez and Mancos. The full salary schedule, including incremental steps tied to years of service, will reflect the adjustment.
“Our teacher turnover has not been tremendously high, but this was to honor our staff, and yes, it will help with recruitment and retention, and growing our Dolores family,” Reed said. “We just tend to have teachers who like it here and want to stay.”
Last year, the base pay was increased by about $1,500 and further adjusted, but still remained behind neighboring districts. While raising the base pay to $43,000 was initially discussed, that number was raised to $46,500. The money for this increase will come from the district's general fund, Reed said.
“We've already heard back from a lot of the staff very thankful for it, and the board is just so willing to work this through, even in a time of uncertainty with state funding. I'm so very thankful,” Reed said.
The school district has set aside funds for the track, which will be part of the construction phase that follows the new high school building and the renovation of the old high school.
A grant from the Department of Fire and Safety is already laying the foundation for the project by helping the district address flooding issues at the playground and football field.
The district plans to build the track near the football field with six lanes and an eight-lane straightaway. In the 1990s, the board previously considered partnering with Joe Rowell Park. The idea came back up in a board meeting this spring, but the board did not proceed with it.
Reed said that Dolores’s nearly 40 track athletes either commute to Cortez or run near the Dolores campus.
At the board’s June meeting, the all-in cost was estimated to be over $4 million.
bduran@the-journal.com
