Dear Westminster Community,

As you read our What’s up WPS story about contract negotiations with the Westminster Education Association (WEA) and our tentative agreement that keeps starting teacher pay levels at the highest in the state of Colorado, you might be wondering just how WPS is able to do that.

It is possible because of clear priorities from our Board of Education, a strong working relationship with WEA, and support from our taxpayers. I am so grateful for these relationships.

In 2018, Westminster Public Schools made a strategic decision to prioritize the attraction and retention of high-quality staff at all levels and create a salary schedule that incentivizes teachers to continue their own education.   

We had an honest conversation with WPS taxpayers about this new approach while asking them to support a mill levy override, which was passed. With the support of the community, we are now able to offer starting teachers close to $61,000 a year and provide our ESP staff with very competitive wages, including a minimum wage of $20 an hour.

As a result:

• Our staff understands that they are valued and appreciated. Talk is cheap, but we are walking the talk.
• Our community is economically stronger because well-compensated WPS employees who live here, in turn, spend their money and invest in their community.
• And finally, our students benefit because nothing beats having an energized, experienced teacher in the classroom. For too long, WPS would provide young teachers with valuable experience in those first couple of years only to see teachers be recruited to a higher-paying district.

So, thank you to the Board of Education, the Westminster Education Association, and members of our community for your support of our important effort to attract and retain high-quality teachers and staff.

Our children deserve the best in and out of the classroom and we are giving it to them because everyone has a shared goal.

Kindest regards, 

Dr. Pamela Swanson

Superintendent of Schools