As numerous Baby Boomers ease into retirement, the nation’s school districts are on the verge of a frightening teacher shortage.

In our own backyard, the Re-1 school district could lose nearly half of the district’s 230 teachers to retirement by 2007. Nationwide, a million teachers, nearly 40 percent of the work force, could retire by 2010.

The news is particularly grim for rural districts such as Re-1, which can’t afford to compete against the likes of Cherry Creek, a rich Denver suburb, for a share of the dwindling labor supply.

"It’s a big concern today," said Superintendent Bill Thompson. "We had a very difficult time filling some of our positions this year."

Thompson explained that in the last few years the number of teachers at recruitment fairs have dropped by half, but there are still plenty of qualified candidates in the labor pool.

"I think the top-caliber students are out there, but I think with lower salaries it’s difficult to attract anyone," he explained.

Certified Re-1 teachers just out of university currently make $23,874 starting out. The highest-paid district teachers have a master’s degree, 45 post-master’s university semester-hours, and 23 years of experience and make $45,098 per year. In 1997, on average, teachers in Colorado made $36,100, a 9.4 percent increase from 1992.

But getting a larger starting salary and a pay raise is heavily dependent on each district’s taxpayers; thus wealthier urban districts in Colorado can attract higher-caliber candidates.

These numbers could make a difference in the battle for the even smaller share of teachers who specialize in math, science, foreign languages and special education.

"We’ve had trouble hiring fully qualified special-ed teachers forever, but now even the major metropolitan areas are having trouble," said Thompson.

Out of desperation, some districts have had to start recruiting mid-career, non-certified teachers who qualify for alternative state teaching licenses.

Thompson said Re-1 recruits teachers at regional recruiting fairs, and advertises at about 60 places around the country. "We try to promote sunshine, mountains, and skiing, but unfortunately those three things don’t put many groceries on the table."

This year’s presidential front-runners are both promising to attract new teachers to schools with billions of new federal dollars. These efforts are aimed at reducing class sizes.

If elected, Vice President Al Gore has promised to ask Congress to spend $16 billion for recruiting a million teachers in the next 10 years, and Texas Gov. George W. Bush would like to spend $5.3 billion.