Colorado Springs teachers to receive substantial pay raise

COLORADO SPRINGS — A Colorado Springs school district that has long been ranked near the bottom for starting teacher pay among regional districts will swing to one of the top-paying districts for first-year teachers next year, under a deal reached Tuesday night with the local teachers union.

A first-year educator in Colorado Springs School District 11 will earn a minimum $50,000 starting during the 2023-24 school year, up from $41,667 this school year. That pay slightly outpaces the $49,000 salary that nearby Harrison School District 2 will offer first-year teachers next year. 

“This is the first time we’ve been this competitive, and it feels really good,” Kris Odom, the district’s interim chief operations officer and part of the district negotiating team, said…