INDIANAPOLIS – On Monday, the Teacher Compensation Commission issued its official report recommending 37 strategies that the state could take to address low teacher pay in Indiana. One of the recommendations included establishing a minimum teacher salary. State Senator Fady Qaddoura (D-Indianapolis), member of the Senate Education Committee, will be introducing a proposal that establishes this important minimum across the state.

“Inadequate teacher pay has been an issue in Indiana for well over a decade, and it’s time our state does the right thing on behalf of our hardworking educators,” Sen. Qaddoura said. “Now that the governor’s commission has put forth its recommendations, I’m hopeful that 2021 will be the year that we take steps to finally raise teacher pay across the state.

“I am especially hopeful that my bill, establishing a minimum teacher salary of $40,000, will garner bipartisan support and advance out of the General Assembly this session. It directly fulfills one of the recommendations offered by the commission, and would finally set our state on the right path. Passing my bill would communicate to teachers that Indiana lawmakers recognize their struggles and are taking real action to address the fact that our educators are some of the lowest paid in the Midwest.

“Our teachers are extremely valuable to our state. This year alone, they have shown that a hundred times over as they stand by our children in a pandemic. We must show them that we recognize and appreciate all that they do. As a member of the Senate Education and Budget Committees, I will be working hard to get my proposal through the General Assembly this session. Our teachers deserve it, and they have waited long enough. I look forward to working with my colleagues in both chambers, as well as the governor’s office, to ensure that my solution to the commission’s recommendation becomes law.”