Otero Junior College and CU Denver recently launched a partnership to offer a bachelor’s degree in elementary education that can be completed entirely at the Otero campus in La Junta. This will help nurture the desire for local residents to stay in the area and teach, said Otero president Jim Rizzuto. Too often, area schools attract K-12 teachers with no roots in La Junta, and they leave almost as soon as they arrive. “This way we can grow our own teachers,” Rizzuto said. “They already have a stake in the town and want to stay and help our local kids succeed.”
