Teacher compensation is at the heart of 5B

This election cycle, the media would have us believe that the issues facing our schools today are masking, vaccinating and critical race theory. However, while we focus on these macro issues, we are failing to see the micro issues that impact this valley in a big way.

The Roaring Fork School District is in the middle of a staffing crisis which affects the district’s ability to provide the best schools for our community. Many critical positions remain unfilled because the district cannot recruit new talent due to low salaries and high cost of living. Can we disagree that kids should wear masks in school and still agree that a community with the third highest cost of living in the state shouldn’t be 37th in teacher pay? Can we disagree about vaccinating our kids and agree that the state of Colorado can and should fund our schools at or above the national average?

The communities that can figure out how to set aside the dramatic issues of the day and solve unique problems like these will fair much better in the long run. We owe it to the children and educators in this valley to support an increase in teacher and staff pay by voting yes on 5B this November.

Angela Anderson

Basalt