Canyon City Schools outlines staffing picture, retention goals and HR priorities

Jamie Davis, director of human resources for Canyon City Schools, told the Board of Education on April 28 that the district employs about 600 people and is focusing on hiring, retention and building career pathways for educators.

Davis said the average teacher salary in Colorado is "around 72,000. And in our school district, it's around 61,000," and described district efforts to narrow that gap. She also reported that the district’s applicant pool has grown: the district averaged 4.6 applicants per posting this year, exceeding a three‑year goal.

Why it matters: staffing and pay affect how readily the district can fill classrooms with licensed personnel, Davis told the board. The HR presentation outlined short‑term strategies the district is using to staff classrooms, and longer‑term efforts to develop local pipelines from paraprofessional and substitute roles into licensed teaching positions.

Davis said Canyon City has increased its substitute pool and has used long‑term substitutes who are…