Every statistic tells a story. A recent survey sent out to all 574 teachers in Widefield School District 3 shows that many teachers — 24% of the 338 who responded — might not return next year. Behind this story, there are individual stories of educators trying to do a difficult job with inadequate support.
This is what they said when those teachers were given a chance to explain, in their own words, what it’s like to teach in Widefield right now.
The Promise That Was Broken
Two years ago, veteran teachers were told to be patient. New hires needed competitive salaries to fill positions, administrators explained, but long-serving teachers would get their turn.
One teacher wrote exactly what many others felt:
“Mr. Duran promised current district employees would get ‘taken care of the following year.’ This came from increasing new teacher hires salary. When veteran teachers asked about a raise for current employees, he promised that this would be done. Of course, nothing ever happened and nothing was done to keep teachers that are already in the district.”
The data confirms the pattern: Of 105 teachers who commented on salary, 26 (nearly one in four) specifically mentioned feeling forgotten or undervalued as veteran teachers. They described being “caught in a compression zone” where teachers with 13–15 years of experience make barely more than brand-new hires.
One teacher with 35 years of experience wrote: “I make only $11,000 more than a starting teacher.”
Another put it more bluntly: “WE NEED TO STOP ONLY THINKING ABOUT NEW TEACHERS. YOUR RETURNING AND VETERAN TEACHERS NEED MOTIVATION TO STAY.”
The numbers tell us that teachers at retention risk seek raises 36% higher than those planning to return. But the words tell us why: they don’t feel valued for the experience they’ve accumulated and the loyalty they’ve shown.
The Time That Vanishes
A veteran elementary teacher with more than 20 years of experience wrote:
“If I had uninterrupted plan time each week, it would cut down a lot of the extra work I have to do at home … and I’ve been teaching for 20+ years. It feels like admin is sooo afraid to give teachers all our plan time … as if we’ll squander it. I work my butt off every day and then still have to work at home to keep up.”
Another teacher described a more immediate problem:
“I do not have an uninterrupted plan time. My EA leaves to give breaks so then I must help at the library counter with book and computer check outs, plus tech damages, and parent phone calls when students have damages or don’t return a computer.”
These aren’t complaints about working hard; teachers chose a profession that demands long hours. These are descriptions of a system that has normalized taking away the time teachers need to actually plan lessons, grade work, and prepare materials.
The survey reveals the scope: Teachers report a median of 1.5 hours per week of work beyond their contracted time. For all teachers across the district, that’s 861 hours every week — 30,996 hours per year — of professional work being done without compensation. Valued at $50 per hour, that’s roughly $1.5 million annually in unpaid labor.
It’s measured in family dinners missed, in weekends consumed, in the slow burnout of giving more and more of your personal time to meet professional demands that keep expanding.
When Thirty Isn’t Just a Number
“It is absolutely ridiculous that we have had numbers as large as 30 at [our school],” one elementary teacher wrote. “We cannot teach properly, it’s more just crowd control and monitoring.”
Thirty students. On paper, it’s just at Colorado’s recommended maximum. In practice, it’s the difference between teaching and crowd control. Another teacher pointed to an uncomfortable truth:
“State law is maximum of 30 students per class. I have classes well over 30 while less effective/desirable teachers have 10 students in their class.”
This isn’t about the ideal class size for optimal learning. This is about watching some teachers get classes of 32, 33, 34 students while others have 10 — and wondering what that says about who the district values.
The numbers confirm this isn’t rare: 23.5% of teachers who responded have at least one class that exceeds the 30-student recommendation. That’s at least 66 classes where teachers face crowd control rather than actual teaching.
“This year my team had to be cut … In primary especially, it has been a significant difference in achievement and behaviors with an increased class size.”
When teachers talk about class size, they mention behaviors almost as often as they mention students. That’s because in a class of 30+ students, particularly students with high needs or behavioral challenges, teaching becomes secondary to management.
One teacher put it simply: “Class size should be the one thing we should control.” But it’s not being controlled. And 147 teachers — nearly half of all survey respondents — wrote comments about it.
The Support That Isn’t There
“Chronic discipline issues are probably my number 1 job dissatisfaction at this point,” one teacher wrote:
“Teachers are expected to handle everything in our classrooms and when we send students to admin for more support, the students come back with no consequences.”
Another teacher described feeling pushed away:
“I rarely see administration in the halls or building unless they need something directly from me. We have been instructed to not send students down to the office because they are habitual offenders that will simply take up time in the office.”
Read that again. Teachers have been instructed not to send repeat offenders to the office because dealing with them takes up too much administrative time.
The statistical analysis confirms what these teachers are describing: Administrative support is the single strongest predictor of teacher satisfaction. For every one-point increase in how teachers rate their administrative support, their overall morale increases by 0.53 points — more than any other factor measured.
Moving from poor administrative support to good support could increase a teacher’s morale by 47%.
Teachers gave dozens of specific examples: Cell phone policies that exist on paper but aren’t enforced. Students watching Netflix in class on school-issued devices. Discipline referrals that disappear into the void. Buildings where all administrative resources go to one extremely disruptive student while everyone else gets none.
“Our new administration regarding discipline feels like they do not want us to write referrals at all or have to deal with discipline issues. I have requested help with certain high fliers and I feel pushed off or ignored.”
This is what it looks like when teachers are told to handle everything in their classrooms while simultaneously being denied the authority or backing to actually do so. The data shows that 38 of 91 teachers (42%) who commented on discipline mentioned administrative issues — but the stories show what that statistic means: teachers standing alone, trying to maintain order, without the support that could make teaching possible.
The Young Teachers Who Leave
“If you want to keep young teachers opt in to FAMLI!!” one teacher wrote. “You would keep sooo many more teachers!!” The double exclamation points aren’t hyperbole. They’re urgency.
Another teacher, a WSD3 graduate who came back to teach in her hometown, wrote:
“We always say we’re a community/the widefield way or that we are a family. So many WSD3 graduates (myself included) come back and work for the district because we believe that we are a family, yet we don’t support FAMLI or a parental leave policy? Actions speak louder than words.”
A third teacher shared a story that makes the abstraction of “parental leave policy” painfully concrete:
“Due to the lack of paid parental leave when I had my child, I opted for an induced birth (because I did not want to take more time off than needed since I wasn’t getting paid) and ended up having complications that required me to be off work for 6 weeks instead of 2.”
A teacher chose medical induction, introducing unnecessary medical risk, because the district doesn’t offer paid parental leave.
The survey data shows that 75.9% of teachers who responded support the district opting into Colorado’s FAMLI program, with even higher support (84%) among teachers under 40. FAMLI would provide paid family leave at no direct cost to the district; it’s funded through a state payroll premium.
When young teachers look at starting families, they’re looking at either taking unpaid leave or using every sick day they have. And they’re looking at other districts that have opted into FAMLI. The retention statistics show that 24% of teachers who responded might not return — and family planning is one of the reasons some will leave.
What Teachers Are Saying About Trust
Behind many of these stories is a common theme: teachers want to be treated as professionals.
“We are professionals and should be treated as professionals when taking paid time off,” one teacher wrote. Another elaborated:
“Everyone knows that if you run out of personal days, that you simply use [sick days]. We are professionals, treat us like it. Just say every employee gets 15 days a year to use for whatever.”
The survey shows 86.6% of teachers who responded support a shift to no-questions-asked personal time off. The current system theoretically requires justification for certain types of leave — a policy typical of hourly workers, not salaried professionals. Teachers also reported being docked pay for leaving the building during non-student time: 32% said they’ve experienced this.
These might seem like small issues compared to class sizes and compensation. But they represent something larger: whether teachers are trusted to manage their own time and treated as the professionals they are, or whether they’re supervised like hourly workers who might abuse any freedom given to them.
“Value teacher expertise and stop policing and monitoring every aspect,” one teacher wrote. That’s not a demand for less accountability. It’s a request for professional respect.
The Numbers Behind the Stories
When you aggregate all these individual stories, the mathematics of the situation become clear:
of teachers who responded are at risk of not returning (3.6% definitely leaving, 20.5% undecided)
less likely to leave for each one-point increase in morale
points of morale gained per rating level of administrative support — more than any other measured factor
hours annually of unpaid work beyond contracted time, district-wide (≈ $1.5M in unpaid labor at $50/hr)
of teachers who responded have at least one class exceeding Colorado’s 30-student recommendation
support no-questions-asked PTO
support opting into Colorado’s FAMLI paid family leave program
of teachers seek a raise of 8% or more
But behind every percentage is a person who wrote something like: “We need a significant raise (10%) for people to stay.” Or: “I am honestly going to be leaving the teaching profession if I do not start making more money.” Or simply: “Something needs to be done to retain your teachers.”
What Teachers Are Asking For
When given space to explain what would make a difference, teachers were remarkably specific and consistent:
Keep the promises that were made about compensation.
“Time for the district to make good on their promises.” Multiple teachers referenced specific commitments about veteran teacher compensation that haven’t been fulfilled.
Protect planning time.
“I wish I had uninterrupted time.” Eliminate or restructure meetings that consume planning time. Many complaints specifically about the 15-Day Challenge.
Formalize class size policies.
147 teachers commented on class size — the highest response rate of any question. They want formal policies with enforcement, not just “building operating guidelines.”
Back teachers up on discipline.
Consistent enforcement of existing policies. Visible administrative presence. Following through on discipline referrals. Supporting teachers instead of pushing them away.
Opt into FAMLI.
“You would keep sooo many more teachers!!” This refrain appeared again and again, particularly from younger teachers planning families.
Treat teachers as professionals.
Trust them to manage their own time. Don’t dock pay for non-student time. Eliminate justification requirements for personal leave. Create a no-questions-asked paid time-off policy.
Adopt and enforce a cell phone policy.
Extensively mentioned in discipline comments. Currently not being enforced. Students watching Netflix and gaming in class on school-issued devices.
Provide resources for special populations challenges.
High-needs students without adequate support. ELL students without sufficient services. Behaviors compounding class size issues. Testing requirements consuming plan time.
These aren’t revolutionary demands. They’re descriptions of what professional working conditions look like in most other fields.
The Question That Hangs in the Air
One teacher, after detailing frustrations with workload, compensation, and support, ended with a question: “Tell me how I got a raise and still take home the same pay as last year.”
Another wrote: “It is starting to feel like we aren’t putting much effort in retaining teachers.”
And perhaps most directly: “I grew up here and love working here, but it doesn’t seem like the district cares much about the teachers who are responsible for much of the growth happening in the district.”
The numbers tell us what’s happening: many teachers might leave, class sizes exceed recommendations, and unpaid work is normalized.
The words tell us why it’s happening: promises broken, time stolen, support absent, trust eroded.
The survey gave 338 teachers a chance to explain their working conditions. They wrote 630 comments totaling nearly 20,000 words.
They told their stories.
The question now is whether anyone is listening.
Teacher Voices: Quotes by Theme
The following quotes are taken from teacher survey responses. They have been organized thematically, and in some cases excerpted from larger responses, but they have not been otherwise edited.
“Last year, Mr. Duran promised current district employees would get ‘taken care of the following year.’ This came from increasing new teacher hires salary. When veteran teachers asked about a raise for current employees, he promised that this would be done. Of course, nothing ever happened and nothing was done to keep teachers that are already in the district.”
“Part of the issue with salaries is we have been told multiple things that have not come to pass so it feels like this survey isn’t taken into account anyway. The largest one was the recent salary compression. Employees higher up on the scale ended up essentially making the same amount as new teachers and we were told those salaries would be decompressed. They were not and nobody has mentioned it since then. No ownership. No accountability. No acknowledgement. It feels like everybody is just hoping it is forgotten. This does not instill confidence.”
“A year or two ago, the district decided to significantly increase starting pay for new teachers to help recruiting. In order to do so, returning employees were given a small raise. We were told that the following year, the district would make up for this by offering a significant raise to existing employees to balance raises out. However, predictably, this didn’t happen. Our raise was 2.5% (or somewhere in that ballpark). I would like the district to stay true to their word by offering a significant raise to returning employees (in the 7-10% range).”
“We were told last year when the new teachers received a huge pay increase that the teachers who have been in the district longer would benefit the following year. I am getting a feeling that we are about to get screwed out of a decent raise again.”
“Time for the district to make good on their promises. A huge raise was given to new teachers a couple of years ago to attract quality teachers. It is time to repay that to veteran teachers to retain quality teachers.”
“Despite years of dedication, expertise, and proven effectiveness in the classroom, experienced teachers continue to receive salary increments that are disproportionately small compared to the starting salaries offered to new teachers. This imbalance not only undervalues the commitment and skill of veteran educators but also creates an inequitable pay structure that fails to recognize the importance of experience in delivering high-quality education. I make only $11,000 more than a starting teacher and I have 35 years of teaching experience.”
“We’ve done a lot to raise the starting wage for incoming teachers to attract new teachers and be competitive, and it was mentioned that the district would keep that in mind for the teachers with longevity in the district at a later time. Instead this past year, many people barely saw a raise or went backwards due to healthcare increases. Are they aware of this / planning to address it?”
“We have been long focused on retention of new teachers, but need to shift some (if not a majority) of the focus to the teachers who have committed 20+ years to this district. We’ve earned it.”
“WE NEED TO STOP ONLY THINKING ABOUT NEW TEACHERS. YOUR RETURNING AND VETERAN TEACHERS NEED MOTIVATION TO STAY. ALSO, FAIR ISN’T ALWAYS EQUAL. THE MIDDLE MAN DESERVES SALARY COMPENSATION.”
“Pay needs increased for those in the middle of the pay scale. When the base pay jumped up, those of us in the middle of the pay scale with 13-15 years teaching experience now make just a tiny bit more than the base pay and that is not a way to retain experienced teachers with many years of teaching left.”
“If I had uninterrupted plan time each week, it would cut down a lot of the extra work I have to do at home … and I’ve been teaching for 20+ years. It feels like admin is sooo afraid to give teachers all our plan time … as if we’ll squander it. I work my butt off every day and then still have to work at home to keep up.”
“I do not have an uninterrupted plan time. My EA leaves to give breaks so then I must help at the library counter with book and computer check outs, plus tech damages, and parent phone calls when students have damages or don’t return a computer.”
“Plan time should be a protected time. There are so many meetings during plan time that we are often not giving adequate time to actually plan and prepare for our lessons.”
“Please protect our plan time! We have far too many meetings that could be emails.”
“The 15 day challenge planning takes up A TON OF TIME.”
“Plan time is not enough. If plan time is interrupted, it should be given back later in the week. Teachers should have plan time for lesson prep, planning curriculum, grading, and paperwork. We should NEVER lose our plan time.”
“My plan time is the first to be taken if we don’t get a sub in for someone else.”
“It is absolutely ridiculous that we have had numbers as large as 30 at WESA. We cannot teach properly, it’s more just crowd control and monitoring.”
“State law is maximum of 30 students per class. I have classes well over 30 while less effective/desirable teachers have 10 students in their class. Either this teacher needs coaching to perform at the same level or to be removed from their position. The quality teachers should not be penalized with bigger classes.”
“Classes of more than 25 should not be allowed. Having larger classes decreases the effectiveness of instruction and achievement, due to behavior management, the space allotted and the overwhelming need base for students.”
“For the room size I have, the amount of students in my room is a lot, but behavior is also an issue with 34 students in one room.”
“It makes no sense for me to have classes of 30+ when other teachers in the same content area have classes of 12 during the same period.”
“This year my team had to be cut … In primary especially, it has been a significant difference in achievement and behaviors with an increased class size.”
“I rarely see administration in the halls or building unless they need something directly from me. We have been instructed to not send students down to the office because they are habitual offenders that disrupt learning for everyone. To handle it ourselves because it takes ‘power away from us.’ When did it become okay for one student to ruin the education for the other 25 plus in the classroom?”
“If you asked me about discipline last year vs this year I would give you a very different answer. Our new administration regarding discipline feels like they do not want us to write referrals at all or have to deal with discipline issues. I have requested help with certain high fliers and I feel pushback when I need to send them from my room due to safety or disruption concerns.”
“The phone policy is not enforced at all and the devices are out of control. Kids are watching NETFLIX, R-rated stuff, on SCHOOL ISSUED DEVICES!”
“Chronic discipline issues are probably my number 1 job dissatisfaction at this point. Teachers are expected to handle everything in our classrooms and when we send students to admin for more support, the students come back with no consequences.”
“Specifically at my school, ALL of our admin is usually dealing with one specific child that is extremely unsafe. This is unfair to the rest of the teachers and students when all of our resources are being given to one child.”
“I have submitted multiple workers comp claims this year due to student behavior. Something needs to change, including follow up with staff afterward and providing consistent additional support for student behaviors.”
“I got pushback from admin for a student calling a co-teacher an ‘old bitch’. The impression that gives others is that it’s ok to do that and I’m trying to set the expectation that it is not ok.”
“We are professionals and should be treated as professionals when taking paid time off.”
“Everyone knows that if you run out of personal days, that you simply use the others. We are professionals, treat us like it. Just say every employee gets 15 days a year to use for whatever.”
“Professionals should be trusted until they give a reason not to be.”
“I do not feel that I should have to write a letter to the Board when I have to take 3 personal days. They are called personal days for a reason … it’s personal.”
“I had a situation involving bereavement recently and was shocked to learn there is no bereavement policy. Even hourly positions in other sectors have bereavement, why not our salaried, professional positions?”
“Value teacher expertise and stop policing and monitoring every aspect.”
“If you want to keep young teachers opt in to FAMLI!! You would keep sooo many more teachers!!”
“We always say we’re a community/the widefield way or that we are a family. So many WSD3 graduates (myself included) come back and work for the district because we believe that we are a family, yet we don’t support FAMLI or a parental leave policy? Actions speak louder than words and this is one of the most disappointing aspects of our district.”
“Due to the lack of paid parental leave when I had my child, I opted for an induced birth (because I did not want to take more time off than needed since I wasn’t getting paid) and ended up having complications leading to a C-section as a result. I truly believe if I had been on paid (even partially-paid) leave, I would not have felt rushed and could have allowed my body to go into labor naturally, which also would have avoided the complications that put my baby at risk.”
“Parental leave would make the district significantly competitive against other districts.”
“Opting into FAMLI will help the district retain young teachers/staff that want to start families.”
“The biggest issue I have is regarding my own situation and the ability to give days. My wife took leave and went unpaid because she did not have enough. It was for the birth of our child and I had enough leave for myself and her but the district still only allowed me to give two days. It was my wife and my child in my household and we went into unpaid status because I could not support my spouse who works in the same district. This was an issue for me.”
“We need a significant raise (10%) for people to stay.”
“We have to get competitive to keep teachers. We can’t keep relying on Widefield loyalty to keep teachers. The time is now, or we are going to leave.”
“I am honestly going to be leaving the teaching profession if I do not start making more money. I am living paycheck to paycheck and made more being a waitress and had less responsibilities.”
“I grew up here and love working here, but it doesn’t seem like the district cares much about the teachers who are responsible for much of the growth happening in the districts.”
“Trust the teachers who are clearly doing well, and directly help the teachers who are struggling. Micromanaging successful teachers makes them feel less valued.”
“It is starting to feel like we aren’t putting much effort in retaining teachers. I know the budget is tight and we need to be attractive to new teachers but eventually a good community does not keep people around.”
“Value teacher expertise and stop policing and monitoring every aspect. Make sure that a firm understanding of what Essential Standards and 15 Day Challenge really means. Allow teachers to teach to strengths. Stop allowing behaviors to dictate our classroom and schools.”