The Boulder Valley School District is offering optional buyouts to some veteran teachers as the district works to address declining enrollment and long-term budget sustainability.
“We have to be real about the realities of declining enrollment and being fiscally responsible for the long term, for the sustainability of our school district,” said Boulder Valley School District Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources Dr. James Hill.
▶️ Watch Denver7's Sophia Villalba's report on the buyouts
District leaders are emphasizing this move is not about forcing out experienced educators.
“This is not a buyout to get rid of our veteran teachers. It’s one tool in a larger district strategy on long-term sustainability. We value our veteran teachers,” Hill said.
The district is allowing up to 75 eligible teachers in the highest salary ranges to accept this buyout. As of Friday, 38 teachers have signed up. The $15,000 buyouts are optional and aimed at teachers already considering retirement.
“It's available for certain teachers that fall in our highest range of our salary schedule that has already been considered in retirement," Hill said. "Retirement is such a personal thing, depending on your conditions, depending on where your family is at that moment. This provides an additional option for those teachers.”
BVSD said newer teachers now start at just over $62,000 a year while its veteran teachers can make more than $130,000 each year, more than twice the starting salary.
“What it’s about is balancing and creating a pipeline for hiring, recruiting, and retaining some of our teachers coming into the profession, as well as honoring and giving an additional option to our veteran teachers that mean so much to our school district,” Hill said.
District leaders told Denver7 the optional buyout has been a conversation with the teacher’s union, Boulder Valley Education Association, for the last three years.
“This year was perfect timing dealing with declining enrollment and really looking at long-term sustainability of our teacher’s contract. We felt that in order to balance all of that together, we would explore a buyout,” Hill said.
According to Hill, around 90% of the district’s budget is spent on personnel. While district leaders said it’s a big part of the budget, it’s also the most important part.
“Without our teachers and employees, this system doesn't work. We recognize and we honor that. At the same time, the realities of declining enrollment and long-term sustainability is also something that we have to balance with our great staff,” Hill said.
Denver7 asked Hill what he would say to parents who are worried about more younger teachers coming in.
“Attrition is real. Whether we're offering a buyout or not, that happens every year," he said. "That's why it's important to make sure that we're training all of our teachers, but really our newer teachers coming in, and that's why we're investing in that as well.
"It’s so limited,” he added.
District leaders said the eligible teachers have until May 15 to decide whether to accept the optional buyout.
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