By State Sen. Daryl Schmitt (R-Jasper)
Indiana's teachers play an important role in preparing Hoosier children for their futures.
That's why this year I was proud to author a bill that increases the statewide starting salary for teachers.
Senate Enrolled Act 146 raises the salary for a first-year teacher in Indiana from $40,000 to $45,000 per year.
This legislation also requires school districts to use 65% of their state tuition support for teacher compensation, up from the previous requirement of 62%. This will increase the amount schools must use to pay teachers by more than $280 million across the state.
While teacher salaries are bargained by school boards and local teachers' unions, the General Assembly supports our educators by setting minimum guidelines regarding how much districts should pay their teachers.
Senate Enrolled Act 146 also establishes the Teacher Recruitment Program, which will provide grant opportunities to train and recruit educators. This program will be administered by the Indiana Department of Education.
If, for some reason, a district cannot meet the starting salary of threshold of $45,000, the district must acknowledge the fact in a public meeting and post a notice on the district's website.
I also supported Senate Enrolled Act 249 this year, which allows schools to give teachers in high-need areas such as STEM and English as a second language additional pay on top of their base salaries.
I am always looking for more ways to support our Hoosier teachers, and these measures are just some of the ways we are working to show our appreciation and encouragement for Hoosier educators.
As always, constituents can reach out to me with any questions or concerns by email at s48@iga.in.gov or by phone at 1-800-382-9467.
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State Sen. Daryl Schmitt (R-Jasper) represents Senate District 48,
which includes Crawford, Dubois, Gibson, Perry, Pike and Spencer counties.
Click here to download a high-resolution photo.
