By Brynna Sentel
TheStatehouseFile.com
INDIANAPOLIS—More than 100 school districts across Indiana will close on Tuesday as thousands of Hoosier teachers say they will descend on the Statehouse to urge lawmakers to improve pay and make other education reforms.
The “Red for Ed†rally organized by the Indiana State Teachers Association takes place on the day lawmakers return to the Statehouse to get ready for the 2020 legislative session. They are expected to be in session for about half a day.
Jennifer Smith-Magraf, ISTA vice president, said more than 13,000 have signed up to attend the day-long event, which includes speeches, meetings with lawmakers and other activities.
“The fact that so many have registered should tell them everything about the seriousness of the issues,†she said. “Educators don’t leave their students lightly.â€
Smith-Margraf said teachers are pushing for true “hold harmless†legislation that will not punish school districts and teachers for low test scores this year on the new ILEARN standardized exam; an increase in teacher pay to an average of $60,000 a year, which would cost about $700 million; and getting rid of the 15 hours teachers are required to work in business in order to renew their teaching license.
The teacher pay issue has garnered most of the headlines as data from the 1999-2000 school year to 2018 show salaries have declined by more than $6,000, a 10.6% change, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. The same data show that Indiana ranks among the bottom 10 states in the nation for public school teacher salaries.
The average Indiana public school teacher makes more than $5,000—or almost 10%–less per year than the U.S. average. In the 1999-2000 school year, Indiana public school teachers made on average $63 more per year than the typical U.S. public school teacher, the data show.
ISTA is asking legislators to use some of the state surpluses to make public school teachers’ salaries more competitive with the nation’s average. The state has a $2 billion surplus.
“We’re not competitive with the surrounding states and have difficulty recruiting and retaining educators in our districts,†Smith-Margraf said, noting some districts have few applications for their openings.
Gov. Eric Holcomb created the Next Level Teacher Pay commission in February to develop recommendations to address the issue but no action is expected until January 2021, which is the next budget-writing session.
Dan Holub, ISTA’s executive director, is a member of the commission’s advisory board and believes the commission will have an impact.
“If we are able to increase teachers’ salaries where they are competitive it will help deal with the loss of effective teachers and make it easier to attract and retain high-quality teachers,†he said. “We are struggling with that now in Indiana and that is not good for the state if you want to have a well-educated population.â€
Smith-Margraf said that in addition to the pay issue, her members want lawmakers in the 2020 session to enact legislation that won’t penalize schools and teachers for this year’s poor test scores from the new ILEARN exam for at least a year.
Bob Behning, chair of the House Education Committee, said in an emailed statement that action is being taken to address the impact of the ILEARN scores.
“Educators always have a seat at the table as we work together to ensure students continue receiving a high-quality education each day they are in the classroom,†Behning said.
Besides the pay and test score issues, teachers are concerned about changes to the licensing process that were made in the 2019 legislative session. Teachers are required to complete professional development to renew a license for five years, but lawmakers added an externship—15 hours spent at some kind of work experience outside of school.
Smith-Margraf said teachers are insulted by the requirement.
FOOTNOTE: Brynna Sentel is a reporter for TheStatehouseFile.com, a news website powered by Franklin College journalism students.
