Education Week: Indiana debate over teacher pay boost remains unsettled

The Indiana legislative leaders and Indiana Governor Holcomb agree that raising teacher pay is a priority, but no one has an agreeable plan to achieve that goal yet. Holcomb has proposed a 3 percent raise in school funding over the next two years, hoping local districts funnel most of the money to raising teacher salaries. Meanwhile, Holcomb wants to create a study group to make recommendations on how to raise teachers salaries to compete with surrounding states. Holcomb is seeking a $210 million raise in school funding for next year, ‘but a new report from education advocacy groups says $658 million is needed to boost average teacher pay to the midpoint of Indiana's neighboring states.”

“A Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis study released last year found that Indiana's average teacher salary of $50,881 ranked 31st among the states when adjusted for cost of living differences — behind Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan and Ohio.”

https://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2019/02/03/indiana-debate-over-teacher-pay-boost_ap.html

February Meeting of the Frances Slocum Chapter of Retired Educators

State superintendent on her exit from politics: ‘It’s follow the money on steroids’

Indiana State Superintendent Jennifer McCormick will not be running for re-election as legislators are poised to give the sitting governor the right to appoint a superintendent who will cater to the governor's desires for education policy. McCormick will leave the top educator position feeling frustrated that the job she took to make a difference for kids, was more about money and politics than what was best for students.

WTTV CBS4 POSTED 11:00 PM, FEBRUARY 6, 2019, BY MATT SMITH

Lawmakers weigh bill to split school referendum funds with local charter schools

"House Education Committee chair Bob Behning (R-Indianapolis) is proposing a bill that would require any districts that pass funding referenda to share those dollars with local charter schools.

Behning says he wants to make charter school funding more equitable, and that charters receive about $3,000 less from the state per student than traditional public schools.

But executive director of the Indiana Association of Public School Superintendents J.T. Coopman says the bill is just another way to strap districts for cash even further, as the state tries to figure out how to boost teacher pay."

https://indianapublicmedia.org/news/lawmakers-weigh-bill-to-split-school-referendum-funds-with-local-charter-schools.php