Campaign pledges to raise teacher pay face uncertain future at Statehouse

This story was originally published by Chalkbeat Indiana.

Campaign promises to raise teacher pay are facing an uncertain future on the floor of the Indiana Statehouse.

Raising base salaries for teachers was a key focus of Gov.-elect Mike Braun’s education platform during the governor’s race. He also supported other professional benefits, such as parental leave, to attract and retain more educators.

But anxiety about the state budget might be a roadblock to raises and other benefits. Lawmakers predict less revenue than in recent years, and priority could be given to funding expansion of school choice programs and programs that relied on federal pandemic funding.

While Braun has not stated a target minimum salary, he said in an October debate that opponent Jennifer McCormick’s $60,000 minimum was “too modest.” Raising base salaries was the second point of his education agenda, after universal school choice.

His transition team said in mid-November that policy details are expected in the next few weeks.

Democratic Rep. Sheila Klinker said she plans to again introduce a bill to raise salary minimums for public school teachers to $60,000.

Otherwise, there’s little indication of organized support for a higher new minimum.

House Speaker Todd Huston and Republican leaders have not indicated whether pay raises are on the agenda.

Instead, Republican statehouse leaders have pointed to this year’s Indiana Teacher Compensation report that shows average teacher salaries in Indiana rose just above $60,000 in 2023-24. The lowest salary reported that year was $40,000, and the highest was $110,000.

“This is welcome news as we’ve worked hard to help local school districts prioritize teacher pay and set spending targets to ensure more dollars reach the classroom,” Huston said in a statement. “We’ll continue to prioritize K-12 education during the upcoming budget session.”

About half of all teachers would see a raise if a $60,000 minimum was enacted.

In a statement, the Indiana State Teachers Association also did not specify a new salary base, but said the state “must address the growing teacher shortage by making meaningful investments in public schools, which will translate to competitive salaries that reflect educators’ vital work.”

The organization plans to release its legislative priorities later this month.

“Our state’s educators are the backbone of our communities, shaping the future for students across Indiana,” the statement said. “Ensuring fair and competitive compensation is not just about valuing their work—it’s essential to recruiting and retaining the qualified teachers and support staff our students need to succeed.”

Raising minimum salaries for teachers

Indiana last set minimum salaries for public school teachers at $40,000 in the 2021-23 budget following recommendations from the state’s 2020 Teacher Compensation Commission report. School districts throughout the state met the minimum salary goal earlier this year, according to the newest data.

Notably, the 2020 report said that once minimum salaries were in place, they should be indexed to inflation “to ensure starting salaries remain competitive in the future.” It said that average salaries of $60,000 would have made Indiana pay competitive in 2018-19.

Some lawmakers already are planning to introduce bills to increase salaries.

In 2024, Klinker sponsored House Bill 1037 to raise teacher salary minimums to $60,000, but the bill was not considered during a non-budget year.

Klinker said what concerns her most are reports of experienced teachers leaving for higher paying jobs outside of education. In one case, a teacher at Jefferson High School in Lafayette left for a supervisor position at the post office paying $80,000 a year, she said. In another, a teacher found her colleague packing her classroom; the other teacher was not planning to return after fall break.

“We’re losing really good people because they don’t see a future in teaching,” Klinker said. “They’re going into healthcare and other areas where they can make a decent living.”

How to fund any potential raises has been a key question for policymakers.

Klinker said lawmakers must earmark more base funding for K-12 education to ensure that smaller and rural school districts can keep up with higher minimum salaries.

In the October debate, McCormick said pay raises could be funded by redirecting the funds that private schools receive from the state through programs like vouchers.

Meanwhile, Braun, who supports expanding vouchers, pointed to an average of $245,000 for classroom maintenance

“If you’re putting that much into buildings and maintenance and upkeep and you’re not getting the most important thing right–which is teacher pay and benefits—to me, 60,000 is way too modest,” Braun said at the October debate.

Improving teacher retention via parental leave, master’s scholarships

Pay raises may not be the only proposal under consideration to improve teacher recruitment and retention.

Braun’s education platform includes a proposal to offer teachers professional benefits like new parent leave.

Paid parental leave has been a legislative priority for ISTA in years past; in 2023, Senate Bill 488 would have provided that for school employees, but the bill did not get a hearing.

Klinker said she’d like to see more funding for programs that allow teachers to earn a master’s degree at no cost to them, as well as funding for guaranteed raises for teachers who complete post-graduate work.

“I want to see them not just stay in the profession but bring young people into the profession,” Klinker said.

Chalkbeat Indiana is a nonprofit news site covering educational change in public schools.