Indiana short on money for teacher pay hike

INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana’s teachers are paid too little for the work they do but raising their salaries to be competitive will cost an estimated $600 million, according to the state’s highly anticipated Teacher Compensation Report.

“There’s a sizable gap between what Indiana teachers are currently being paid and what we have deemed to be a target for competitive pay,” said Michael Smith, chairperson of the Next Level Teacher Compensation Commission. “Closing this pay gap will require both state government and local school corporations to act.”

Teachers likely won’t get help in the next biennial budget, which lawmakers will begin drafting during the 2021 legislative session.

The state’s reserves helped Indiana weather the worst of the economic fallout from COVID-19. But increased Medicaid costs might eat up slight revenue gains for the upcoming year, meaning no extra money for teachers.

Read more: https://www.kokomotribune.com/indiana/news/indiana-short-on-money-for-teacher-pay-hike/article_4936e6da-83b8-5b92-b284-18204961e442.html