As Republican state lawmakers applaud a new report showing that, for the first time, Indiana’s average annual teacher pay exceeded $60,000, Democratic leaders continue to push for a state salary minimum that would ensure all educators make at least that much from day one.
The average teacher salary in Indiana during the last school year was recorded at $60,557 — up from $58,531 the year prior — according to the 2023-24 state teacher compensation report by the Indiana Education Employment Relations Board (IEERB). Before that, average annual salaries were $56,609 in 2021-2022 and $ 53,991 in 2020-21.
The lowest teacher salary reported was $40,000 — the current state-mandated minimum. The highest was $110,000. Teacher pay is ultimately set by local school districts.
Nearly all — 98% — of Hoosier school districts gave teachers a raise last year, benefitting about 92% of educators statewide, the report indicated.
The IEERB reported that about 32,000 full-time Hoosier teachers earned above the 2023-2023 statewide average, while roughly 31,300 educators still earned below that margin. The report cited 63,462 full-time teachers employed during the academic year.
Sen. Jeff Raatz, R-Richmond, who chairs the senate education committee, lauded the new salary report in a weekly email to constituents, as did multiple other members of his caucus.
He additionally pointed to a 2023 law he sponsored that ensures at least 62% of schools’ state tuition support is used for teacher salaries and benefits.
Raatz emphasized, too, that in 2021, Indiana lawmakers included a provision in the previous state budget that barred schools from reducing the total amount budgeted for teacher salaries, with limited exceptions.
Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb and other top state GOP officials have repeatedly said they intend to make teacher pay competitive with surrounding states and get Indiana’s average teacher salary up to $60,000. The same increase was recommended by the governor’s 2020 Next Level Teacher Compensation Commission.
Democratic lawmakers have made numerous unsuccessful attempts in recent years to pass definitive teacher pay boost legislation. The party’s gubernatorial candidate, Jennifer McCormick, specifically said in her platform that she will fight for a minimum base salary of $60,000 for all Hoosier teachers, and adjustments for veteran teachers’ salaries “to reflect their non-educator peers.”
An education plan released by her GOP competitor, Mike Braun, called for raises to Hoosier teachers’ base salaries, and “guaranteed” professional benefits like new parent leave, as well as improved health insurance options. Braun’s campaign has not indicated a specific teacher pay minimum, however, nor does it detail how much the proposal would cost overall.
New data shows progress
The IEERB has issued its Collective Bargaining Report each year since 2013. All Hoosier school corporations and employers that bargain with an exclusive representative organization are required to complete the survey.
In the latest analysis, 304 entities submitted data for the latest analysis; 289 were traditional public schools, nine were special education cooperatives, and six were career centers.
(Graph from the Indiana Education Enrollment Relations Board’s 2023-24 teacher compensation report)
Total salary costs for all teachers across Indiana totaled more than $3.8 billion. At least 287 school corporations use federal grants and 52 use property tax referendums to support teacher salaries.
The total compensation for all teachers — which accounts for salaries, benefits, stipends and other supplemental pay — surpassed $5 billion. ?Including benefits, the average teacher compensation in Indiana is nearly $80,000, per the IEERB numbers.
Indiana’s newest teachers — those with just one year of experience — averaged $48,129 per year. Average pay increased with more years spent in the classroom:
- five years of experience: $52,268
- 10 years of experience: $56,993
- 15 years of experience: $62,810
- 20 years of experience: $70,235
- 25 years of experience: $75,215
- 30 or more years of experience: $78,613
During the last school year, the average Indiana teacher had 13 years of experience.
Push for higher pay continues
Nearly 3,600 new-to-teaching hires were also brought into school during 2023-24, according to the report.
Separately, 4,464 full-time teachers who already had classroom experience were hired by districts across the state. Another 1,149 teachers retired.
About as many teachers are being retained. According to the IEERB survey data, 55,971 teachers were retained in 2023-24 from the previous year. That’s compared to 55,227, the year before. There were 55,682 teachers who stayed in classrooms in 2021-22, and 56,999 in 2020-21.
Indiana’s average teacher salary is ranked 36th in the United States by the National Education Association as of September. The state’s average teacher starting salary is ranked 28th.
Hoosier lawmakers will craft the state’s next two-year budget during the upcoming 2025 legislative session, during which school funding and teacher pay are expected to be debated.