Moving to Denver area

[kskarad]

My husband and I are planning a move to the Denver area soon. I currently live in Charlotte, NC and do not know much about the school systems in Denver. I have been teaching for 10 years and received my National Board certification last year.
I was hoping someone could give me some information. I have tried reading about salary, benefits, retirement etc. online, but I really need someone who could explain everything to me.

What are the best schools? Which ones should I avoid? Are there particular schools within a district that have terrible administration? I have a ton of questions. In NC unions are against the law, so the teachers do not have one. Is there one in Denver? Do you have to join? Should you join? I also do not understansd the salary system. It looks like it caps out after 10 years. In NC you get increases each year up to 30+. Any help anyone could give would be greatly appreciated.

[Addict]

kskarad -

Welcome to The Teacher's Corner! My wife and I live just south of Denver, and she has been teaching for 10 years as well :).

I think she will be coming in to reply to your post a little later today - I'm sure she can give you quite a bit of information.

Do you know 'where' in the Denver area you are moving to? Or are you still open to any area?

[kskarad]

We are not positive that we are moving yet, but it is looking pretty good. We are very open on areas to live in. I have been doing some house research and have looked in Englewood, Centennial, Littleton, Wheat Ridge, Arvada, and a few more. I was told that Aurora was an area of high crime, so I haven't looked there much. I did notice that Aurora seems to have the best salary schedule and will allow you to transfer all of your experience. Most other districts will only give you credit for 5 years. I also noticed that they increase you pay every year up tp 42 years experience. This is very similar to the school district I currently teach at. However, I don't like the school district I currently teach in because we are so micro managed. I would love to hear from your wife and get an "insiders" take on the matter. I will check back later for her response. Thanks!

[AAA Teacher Forum]

kskarad,
Hello! I hope my information will help you. As Chad mentioned, we live just south of Denver in Castle Rock. I currently teach in Castle Rock which is part of the Douglas County School District. More than half of my experience has been in the DCSD, so I have the most information to share about it. (Sorry for the long post, I just wanted to get you as much info as I could.)

DCSD covers a large area and an area that is constantly growing. Over the past few years, we have at least 1-2 new schools opening every year. (The school I am currently in just opened 3 years ago.) The major towns included in our district are: Highlands Ranch, Castle Rock, and Parker. We are the fourth largest district in the state. Up until just a few years ago, DCSD had had only one superintendent. Our district is very standards based. (We have taken the CO Content Standards and created DCSD Standards.)

As for a teacher's union, I believe that DCSD has one of the best in the state. You are not required to join, but I am a member. (One reason I joined was because of the insurance that membership offers you.) They also offer great scholarships for professional development and help sponsor/cosponsor a number of other district programs. One thing to know about Colorado, is that districts have different unions...they aren't all part of one. In DC, we are part of AFT.
Here are two different links. The first is to DC's union:
http://www.dcft.net/default.htm
The second is to the state's union page:
http://www.independentmindedteacher.org/membership.html

This link will take you to the "Welcome" page of the site. Some of the links on this page that you may be interested in are: the Annual Reports (gives you an idea of how the schools perform), a map of the schools, and district core values.

Our district has a Performance Pay plan. We are also provided with a number of staff development opportunities that allow us to either earn cash or advancement on the pay scale. Another great thing about the pay system is that you can submit college credits or advancement credits ANYTIME during the school year and they take affect the next month...you don't have to wait until the beginning of the next school year. We also have what is called the "Outstanding Teacher" program. You create a portfolio over the course of the year and if it meets the requirements and is approved by your principal, you receive a lump sum of approx. $1200.

Here is the DCSD Pay Matrix:
http://www.dcsdk12.org/portal/page/portal/DCSD/Human_Resources/Hiring_Central/cert_salary_matrix.pdf
To read the chart, find your years of experience on the left and follow that over the column that matches your graduate work experience...as a new teacher to the district you are probationary for 3 years - no matter how many years you bring...so you need to find the column with a "P."

The paper copy I have at home shows the amounts below the line...you max out at different levels along the scale. The district accepts 10 years of experience and also takes into account what graduate & workshop work you have done.

As state employees, teachers pay into PERA instead of social security. (I'm not sure if that's what you do now.) I know that once you reach retirement, you can "buy" years that may allow you to retire earlier.

If you have trouble with any of the links, just go to the district's main site and look through the information.
http://www.dcsdk12.org

As for other districts in the metro area, Cherry Creek would be another top district to check out. They cover: Cherry Hills Village, Centennial, Foxfield, Glendale, Greenwood Village and portions of Aurora, Englewood and Denver. Here is a link to their web site:
http://www.ccsd.k12.co.us/index.htm
(After looking at their pay scale, I can say that I am making about $4,000 less a year, but I don't believe their system is performance pay based.

Another large district is Jefferson County. I believe they have been in some transition over the last couple of years...I can't personally speak to their stability.
http://jeffcoweb.jeffco.k12.co.us/

You asked about building trouble with administration. As like the state, the Denver Metro area is home to a large number of districts...there isn't just one. Each district is going to have its own troubled buildings. Ultimately, every district has its own set of policies and usual politics.

I hope some of this has helped. I'm hoping that there is maybe someone else on the boards from Colorado that could shed some light on the other CO districts in the Metro area. If you have some other questions, I will do my best at answering them.

Jennifer