Colorado was among the first states to join a compact that would make it easier for teachers licensed in one state to become licensed in another, but in the three years since Colorado signed on, the state has not gained any new teachers through the agreement.
That’s in part because of hang-ups in figuring out how to match different types of licenses and approaches to certifying teachers from state to state. Now, Colorado lawmakers are looking for ways to open the pathway with a bill that recently passed out of the state Senate and has the governor’s support.
The Interstate Teacher Mobility Compact is well established, with 13 states on board, all sharing the goal of developing a more seamless way for teachers certified in one state to secure a teaching license in another state.
However, the compact has had a hard time setting up a system to help states understand how teacher licenses in one state would transfer to another. That system, which the compact this week decided to revamp, would give states a tool where each can list what’s required to earn licenses and the kinds of content areas teachers can pursue. A state would use the system to confirm if it has a credential or license equivalent to one held by a teacher from another state.
Those wrinkles have stalled teachers who might otherwise be ready to take on their own classroom in Colorado, delaying one promising solution to curbing chronic teacher shortages — which left 7,792 teaching positions needing to be filled during the 2024-25 school year, according to data from the state education department.
Now, as the battle to staff all classrooms with qualified educators wages on in many districts, a bipartisan group of lawmakers is proposing a set of changes that would accelerate how quickly a licensed teacher from any of the other 12 states in the compact can begin teaching in a Colorado classroom.
DENVER, COLORADO — Feb. 20, 2026: Visitors roam the third floor of the Colorado Capitol on Friday, Feb. 20, 2026 in Denver. (Jesse Paul, The Colorado Sun)Senate Bill 126, introduced last month, would require that the Colorado Department of Education grant an initial teacher license to an educator licensed in another state belonging to the compact within 30 days of that educator applying for a Colorado license. The applicant would have to pass a criminal background check.
The legislation does not include any attached costs because it would not require more staff, according to the fiscal note.
The legislation would also loosen rules around when a teacher with experience in another state last taught. To be eligible for a professional teacher license, Colorado law dictates that a teacher must have completed at least three years of teaching within the past seven years in another state that is part of the compact. The bill would axe the need for a teacher to have taught within the past seven years, though still requiring them to have at least three years of teaching experience.
“If they meet the criteria, we feel that they should be able to qualify for licensure in Colorado and it should be an expedited process,” said Denille LePlatt, executive director of the Colorado Rural Schools Alliance, which helped write the legislation. “We are trying to make sure that we have quality educators in every classroom, and we think this will help eliminate some of the barriers that people have faced.”
State Sen. Janice Marchman, a Loveland Democrat and bill sponsor, knows firsthand the ripple of stressors that come from trying to make do with too few teachers. Marchman, who also sponsored legislation in 2023 clearing the way for Colorado to join the interstate compact, was pulled in unexpected directions while working as a middle school math interventionist in Loveland. She’s filled in as a long-term substitute teacher for an eighth-grade math class and a sixth-grade keyboarding computer class.
And she’s watched schools, desperate for help with classrooms needing a teacher, tap instructional coaches to take over, steering them away from their other job duties, such as evaluating student performance data, determining the right ways to help kids learn skills they’re lagging in and offering teachers feedback.
“The teacher crisis is real and it’s increasing,” Marchman said. “The number of vacant positions in teaching that we have is increasing year over year and so while this is not a be all, end all, it is an opportunity for qualified teachers who are interested in portability of moving to Colorado and getting right into our classrooms. And we’re hoping that removing some of these barriers will be an incentive to get good teachers in our classrooms as we’re dealing with this teacher shortage crisis.”
State Rep. Dusty Johnson, a Fort Morgan Republican and bill sponsor, said every one of the 34 school districts she represents is straining under a staff shortage. Her main concern is drawing teachers to rural communities.
“Once we get folks in our communities because small communities are close-knit, we see longevity,” Johnson said. “It’s just, how do we get them there?”
The bill would help keep the window of teaching open to educators who want to return after leaving the profession for any reason — a family or medical issue, a career change, or a decision to join the military, Johnson said.
“We want to make sure we’re not discouraging someone because they had a different path of life for whatever reason and they want to come back,” she said.
Gov. Jared Polis has signaled his support for the bill.
“Our teachers are the backbone of Colorado’s education system,” spokesperson Shelby Wieman wrote in a text to The Colorado Sun. “We have made important investments in our education workforce, and this would be another step in that direction, making our state more attractive to terrific teachers and educators. The Governor looks forward to signing this bill when it reaches his desk.”
Meanwhile, the state education department is continuing to collaborate with other states to finalize the ways the compact will recognize teacher licenses across states. Tanya Klein, director of educator licensure at the department, said she hopes educators can begin applying to become licensed in other states through the compact by summer.
But even if the application isn’t available that soon, bill sponsors say that educators would still have a fair and fast shot at getting a license in Colorado so they could start teaching almost immediately.
“If it’s not up by June or July and we’re starting school in August, we can get a teacher in front of our students with the (initial) license that’s in the bill,” Marchman said.
Senate Bill 126 was approved by the Senate on Tuesday and now heads to the House.
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