District 11 preview: board prioritizes classroom spending, proposes 10% compensation package

Colorado Springs School District 11 officials on April 23 presented a preliminary budget built to push more money “closer to the classroom,” proposing a districtwide compensation package that totals 10% for most employees and further realignment of central‑office spending to preserve teaching positions.

The proposal, presented in a board work session, aims to use new state money and reallocated local resources to increase recurring and nonrecurring pay for employees while shrinking the central‑office footprint. Superintendent Gahl told the board, “The number 1 way to student achievement is access to high quality instruction.”

District staff said the plan reflects three priorities set by the board: (1) send all new recurring dollars to compensation, (2) prioritize schools and instruction in resource allocation, and (3) realign existing central‑office resources to free dollars for classrooms. “We are intentionally shifting our resources to be closer to the mission of district 11, which is the education of children and supporting, our students,” Deputy Superintendent Dr. Comfort told the board during the presentation.

Most important details - Compensation: Administrators proposed a differentiated “10%” compensation package for nearly all employees. Teachers and school‑based instructional staff were described as the highest priority. That package is structured as combinations of recurring (salary/step/lane) increases and nonrecurring payments; Dr. Comfort outlined examples such as “4% recurring, 6% nonrecurring” for teachers to reach 10% total. - Cost and funding: Staff said roughly $5 million in new funding from the School Finance Act is expected for the district this year. The total recurring cost of the proposed compensation changes was presented as approximately $8.4 million (about $6.8 million in salary and $1.6 million in benefits); administrators also proposed about $13 million in nonrecurring compensation items. To cover the package and other priorities, the budget would use new state money, some Mill Levy Override (MLO) arrangements and central‑office savings. - Central office reductions: The district reported about $3.2 million in central‑office savings in the current proposal and earlier savings of roughly $4.2 million last year — about $7 million total over two years — which leaders said were achieved by reorganizing and reclassifying roles rather than adding new positions. - Program and one‑time items: The preliminary plan includes a consolidated schoolwide program for Title I funds to reduce paperwork for schools, a recurring line for graduation costs and a set of “peak experience” allocations (performing arts, athletics, travel opportunities and targeted professional development). Administrators said they have also set aside funds for targeted school supports such as the previously approved staffing stability program for Adams, Galileo and Mitchell.

Board and staff context Board members pressed for clarity about whether cuts would show up in schools. Administrators said classroom teaching positions would not be cut as part of this proposal and that reclassification or reorganization of central roles — not rehiring in kind after retirements — produced most savings. When questioned about positions posted in central office, staff said those are reorganized roles rather than brand‑new positions.

On coding and accounting: administrators warned that moving items between central and school coding can change percentage figures in public charts but said they will not use coding changes to manufacture an instruction percentage — they plan to reallocate real dollars. Dr. Comfort summarized that the district has “transitioned from budget driving strategy just to strategy driving budget.”

Next steps and staff direction The presentation is preliminary; staff will bring the formal budget book and proposed changes back to the board in coming weeks for non‑action review and later adoption. The budget subcommittee and district staff said they will continue refining line items, confirm retiree differentials and finalize nonrecurring allocations. Leadership said a public tool (a salary calculator) is being prepared for employees to estimate changes to their pay.

Why it matters District leaders argued the proposal is intended to blunt the effect of statewide funding uncertainty and declining enrollment by directing scarce resources to instruction and by increasing pay to retain and recruit teachers. With state funding models and enrollment averaging under discussion at the legislature, the board framed the budget as a local policy choice to prioritize classroom staff.

Speakers quoted in this article are drawn from the board work session transcript and include only persons identified in that discussion. Direct quotes are verbatim from the session.