Report reveals how much Colorado teachers are underpaid, some districts offer incentives

A new report is revealing just how much Colorado teachers are underpaid. According to the National Education Association, Colorado ranks 49th out of 50 when it comes to lowest paid teachers. Teacher salaries continue to decline relative to inflation, threatening to deepen an unprecedented school staffing crisis nationwide.

Here in Colorado, the average starting salary for teachers is $37,124. The highest paid educators with bachelor's degrees are at approximately $47,500 a year. Those with master's degrees begin around $40,000. And top salaries overall for teachers: $67,101. Teachers make on average $3,644 less than they did 10 years ago, adjusted for inflation.

CBS Colorado has been highlighting the issue for months, and some districts like Douglas County are offering incentives for teachers amid low pay. Douglas County is one of the richest counties in the country. It has a median household income of more than $127,000 last year. Starting teacher salary in that county is around $44,000.

The NEA predicts higher pay to be reflected in next year's report due to collective bargaining, saying in part: "The Colorado Education Association reports that locals with CBAs negotiated an average COLA of 5.8% for licensed educators and ESP. The average COLA among locals that do not collectively bargain was 4.2% for licensed and 5.3% for ESP. As a specific example, the Alamosa Education Association negotiated a pay increase of 8% across the board for teachers and ESP, the most substantial raise in 20 years."