Can one live comfortably in Denver on a teachers salary? (move to, eat)

[davidv]

I am going to say yes.

As a teacher for the past 20 years, I have seen many single young people move from out of state to work as teachers, and they seem to be able to afford the cost of living.

The time to look for and apply for jobs in Colorado school districts starts in March and runs through early May. After that, there are a few jobs available, but not many.

You didn't say what you plan on teaching, but you should try to somehow network with educators out here. Maybe there is a conference you could attend or an internship you could take.

[Octa]

Originally Posted by davidv

I am going to say yes.

As a teacher for the past 20 years, I have seen many single young people move from out of state to work as teachers, and they seem to be able to afford the cost of living.

The time to look for and apply for jobs in Colorado school districts starts in March and runs through early May. After that, there are a few jobs available, but not many.

You didn't say what you plan on teaching, but you should try to somehow network with educators out here. Maybe there is a conference you could attend or an internship you could take.

Thank you that was helpful. I'm going to be teaching elementary education. My goal is to to stay in state for a year or two to get some experience and references and then start teaching children in title I school.

I wasn't aware people did internships for teaching outside of the one required in grad school. Any information to any out there would be helpful.

[Dreaming of Hawaii]

You might also want to consider the fact that while the City and County of Denver has its own school district, there are many other school districts in the surrounding suburbs. Douglas County, Jefferson County, Adams County, Cherry Creek, Littleton, Englewood, etc. etc. etc. Obviously all of these different districts have their own pay scales. Since you have 5 years before moving to the area, you've got plenty of time to research the many different districts.

Once you get to the point of actually finding a job, then you can start doing the housing search.

Could you clarify what a "youth population" is? Just curious.

[Tekkie]

In fact, perhaps more so than the person making a higher salary. I hear you can get really good deals on mortgages (low interest, low down payment). My co-worker has teacher friends that own a house and are currently remodeling it.

[livecontent]

Originally Posted by Octa

Didn't mean to offend you. Thank you...

I was not offended. It just touched me as funny to ask if the city had many young people.

Livecontent

[smdensbcs]

In general, I believe most teachers in Denver can live comfortably. It all depends on what one is comparing it to. In some rural areas and smaller cities, teachers may be compensated higher than the average person and therefore seem "well off." In some coastal U.S. cities where 2 bedroom houses in "safe" areas start at $800,000 and go up from there, teachers are not living "comfortably." Denver is somewhere in between those two extremes. A public school teacher's income, extrapolated over 25-30 years with modest increases, should allow one to live "reasonably" if not extravagantly in Denver. If one is married and their spouse is also mid-income, prospects look even better.

[davidv]

Originally Posted by smdensbcs

In general, I believe most teachers in Denver can live comfortably. It all depends on what one is comparing it to. In some rural areas and smaller cities, teachers may be compensated higher than the average person and therefore seem "well off." In some coastal U.S. cities where 2 bedroom houses in "safe" areas start at $800,000 and go up from there, teachers are not living "comfortably." Denver is somewhere in between those two extremes. A public school teacher's income, extrapolated over 25-30 years with modest increases, should allow one to live "reasonably" if not extravagantly in Denver. If one is married and their spouse is also mid-income, prospects look even better.

Here is where I will disagree with you. Since the advent of TABOR and its ratchet effect, as well as the general attack on what people see as teachers' "extravagant" salaries and benefits, I do not think that teacher salaries and benefit packages have hit rock bottom.

Over the past 20 years, the following has happened:
- School districts have balanced their budgets by cutting salaries and benefits in bad times, however, in good times, TABOR's ratchet effect means that the teachers do not get back any of the frozen salaries or reduced benefit contributions.

- Medical premiums and PERA contributions are rising dramatically (my medical premiums went up 14% this year) without any additional contributions made by the district or COLAs to help pay. This is resulting in loss of take home pay.

- Teachers' COLAs have not even kept up with inflation even if you do not take into account the rising medical costs.

As a teacher and the primary money-maker in my family, these cuts have hurt very much. It has come to the point where I am wondering if I should find another profession, not because I don't love my job, but because it is getting to the point where I am living paycheck to paycheck. I should be able to make it to retirement, but I don't know if a new teacher can make it 30 years unless that person's spouse makes good money.

[smdensbcs]

Originally Posted by davidv

As a teacher and the primary money-maker in my family, these cuts have hurt very much.

Butget cuts seem to be affecting nearly all public employees I know, including fire-fighters, police, teachers, the list goes on. As a self-employed professional and sole earner in our family of four, our health insurance premium goes up 15-25% each year, year after stinking year, no matter how high we keep adjusting our deductible or look for other options, so I do feel your pain.

Note I didn't say to the OP being a teacher in Denver would be lucrative or easy, just that it is more possible than it is in other cities to have a "normal" life on a teacher's middle-income professional salary. Your statement "As a teacher and the primary money-maker in my family..." would have simply been a financial impossibility in the monstrously expensive coastal region in which I happened to be raised. Even high-earners making over $100,000 annually 20 years ago were being priced out of the real estate market for even two bedroom condos. Nobody and I mean NOBODY could even conceive of going into teaching and expect to be "the primary money-maker in a family." You'd simply never get to that point as a teacher, particularly as a male teacher. Sad, sad, sad, but true. When I moved to Denver in the mid-90's I almost wept with joy meeting young male teachers who women actually considered "good catches" and who ended up getting married and supporting families (generally with Summer jobs mixed in). These people were not considered "good catches" in the coastal areas I became increasingly irritated with and eventually left. So, its not that being a teacher in Denver is necessarily "comfortable" but it IS a consideration for someone truly passionate about the profession who does not necessarily want to live a life of solitude and comparative poverty outside the classroom. It may not be quite what it once was, but I don't yet see it as a structural impossibility to function economically as it quickly became where I came of age (and obviously elected not to go into teaching, a hugely noble profession). I don't think we're disagreeing here, I think we're just looking at it from somewhat different angles. To me, I see teaching as a profession someone in Denver can still go into and have at least SOME chance of a normal family life. Not that its easy. Not that health premiums and TABOR aren't hugely irritating. Perhaps I'm wrong though and future Denver teachers are as hosed as they are elsewhere where two-bed condos would take 150 years to pay off on a teacher's salary.

[Octa]

Originally Posted by Dreaming of Hawaii

Could you clarify what a "youth population" is? Just curious.

Just people in their 20s early30s. I happen to be a single male so I will be concerned about dating once I've started my career.

Originally Posted by davidv

Here is where I will disagree with you. Since the advent of TABOR and its ratchet effect, as well as the general attack on what people see as teachers' "extravagant" salaries and benefits, I do not think that teacher salaries and benefit packages have hit rock bottom.

Over the past 20 years, the following has happened:
- School districts have balanced their budgets by cutting salaries and benefits in bad times, however, in good times, TABOR's ratchet effect means that the teachers do not get back any of the frozen salaries or reduced benefit contributions.

- Medical premiums and PERA contributions are rising dramatically (my medical premiums went up 14% this year) without any additional contributions made by the district or COLAs to help pay. This is resulting in loss of take home pay.

- Teachers' COLAs have not even kept up with inflation even if you do not take into account the rising medical costs.

As a teacher and the primary money-maker in my family, these cuts have hurt very much. It has come to the point where I am wondering if I should find another profession, not because I don't love my job, but because it is getting to the point where I am living paycheck to paycheck. I should be able to make it to retirement, but I don't know if a new teacher can make it 30 years unless that person's spouse makes good money.

You bring up something I wasn't sure about asking given how hostile some people in this country are to teachers: what is the politics in CO like? Hostile to teachers? I live in a right to work state which is part of the reason why I don't want to teach long term here. On top of that, there have been talks about instituting charter schools and merit pay schemes here like in Florida(which has resulted in many wanting to leave). I want to practice my profession, not be the target of public ridicule and have my livelihood and security decimated.

I do sometimes wonder if I made the right choice heading into this profession and based on the current attitude towards teachers and how the pubic debate has been towards educational reform.

[harrison21]

I've been teaching about 2 hours from Denver and will be starting a new job at a Denver school district this fall. I would say that "comfortably" is all about your personal perception. Denver actually had a lower COL then where I've been teaching (Vail), so in that respect it seems great, but when compared to my home city (Cincinnati) it's much worse! I get by just fine as far as rent/bills go, but I do have to make some sacrifices. For example, I had to get rid of my cable because it was just too expensive, and I must be the only 24 year old in the country who doesn't own a smart phone (again, too expensive). I'm also lucky not to have any student loans or a car payment. Like I said, I can pay for everything, but I certainly don't end up with a lot of "spending money" leftover. In comparison to Vail, I was able to get a MUCH nicer apartment and my benefits are much better at the new district. I worked with some single parents in my last position and I honestly don't know how they did it money-wise.

As far as attitude towards teachers, I will say it's a lot better than what I was used to in Ohio. In Vail we were pretty highly respected, but that's because that's a much wealthier population overall- our active PTA-type parents knew full well how little we were making in comparison to their families, so we got a lot of respect from them. I haven't been in Denver for very long, but so far everyone I've talked to has only had nice things to say about me starting a teaching job here.

Like others mentioned though, who knows what the job market, salary, and COL will be like in 5 years!