Now’s the time to raise teacher pay in Indiana

<p><strong>(Anderson) Herald Bulletin</strong></p><p>When citizens demand long-overdue solutions, reluctant government often offers a stonewall answer: We’ll study it.</p><p>Yes, sometimes there’s a need to gather more information, convene a panel, commission a survey, consult with experts, etc.</p><p>But sometimes there’s simply a need for action.</p><p>So it is with teacher pay in Indiana.</p><p>Everyone knows it: Hoosier teachers, by and large, are grossly underpaid when you consider the difficulty of their jobs and the importance of doing it right.</p><p>Teachers have a profound impact on upcoming generations. If they relate to the kids, know their subject matter and teach it effectively, it can mean the difference between a student excelling or dropping out. Society, in the long run, depends on the job done by our school teachers.</p><p>But our classroom leaders in Indiana are compensated poorly when compared to professionals in most other lines of work, and when compared to teachers in other states.</p><p>Indiana teachers start out behind, according to these average starting teacher salaries in 2016-17 from the National Education Association:</p><p>Nationwide: $38,617</p><p>Illinois: $38,820</p><p>Kentucky: $36,494</p><p>Michigan: $36,234</p><p>Ohio: $35,249</p><p>Indiana: $35,241</p><p>And Hoosier teachers fall further behind as their careers progress, according to these average teacher salaries in 2016-17 from the National Center for Education Statistics:</p><p>Nationwide: $58,064</p><p>Michigan: $62,000</p><p>Illinois: $61,602</p><p>Ohio: $57,000</p><p>Kentucky: $52,339</p><p>Indiana: $50,554</p><p>Gov. Eric Holcomb recently said the state would conduct a long-range study of Indiana teacher salaries before choosing a path to improve pay sometime as late as 2021.</p><p>Come on, Governor, is a two-year delay really necessary?</p><p>The governor and the state legislature should act in 2019 to bring Hoosier teacher pay to the head of the class in the Midwest.</p><p>Now is not the time for chart graphs, committees and ad nauseam discussion.</p><p>Now’s the time for Indiana to attract and retain the best teachers — and to provide our students with the best education.</p><p>It’s time for government to take action.</p>