Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb Proposes Increased Teacher Salary
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (WTHI) – Recently, Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb announced his proposal for the 2023 budget. Included is raising teacher salaries to a place that people in education have been waiting to see for some time.
The plan includes more than $1 billion of additional funding for K-12 education. The proposed budget would raise the average teacher pay in the Hoosier state from $56,000 to $60,000 per year.
Lucy Harbaugh is a local teacher at Sugar Creek Consolidated Elementary School. She says that Holcomb’s decision will only make teaching a more appealing job.
“The salary is what turns teachers away from teaching and if this can bump that up a little bit it might bring in more teachers,” she said. “More teachers that love their job and can continue their passion for it.”
Holcomb says that if the budget passes, the overall 8% increase in funding will be put in place over the next two years. This will help Indiana catch up in terms of average pay. As it stands, Indiana is currently 41st in the nation for average teacher pay according to Holcomb.
In this proposed budget Holcomb states that, “The most important determinant of a child’s success in adulthood is their education.” He later added that, “Furthermore, the quality of their education relies overwhelmingly on two groups of people: parents and teachers.”
Harbaugh seconded Holcomb, explaining the role teachers have had in her life and the role she hopes to play in her students lives.
“They are finding themselves when they are that young,” she said. “The teachers can play a part in helping them find who they want to be, what they want to be, and what they are capable of becoming.”
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