Teachers not appointed to governor's teacher compensation commission

Its members include a moving company executive; a former auto company executive; the leader of a charitable organization; a bank CEO; an Ivy Tech Community College vice president; an investment firm executive; and Jená Bellezza, of Gary, chief operating officer of the Indiana Parenting Institute.

They've been directed by the Republican governor to determine what constitutes competitive teacher pay in Indiana and to recommend ways of achieving it.

Holcomb also appointed a six-member advisory council to "provide further knowledge and expertise" to the commission, which includes no Northwest Indiana members but does have one classroom teacher: Emily Holt, of Arcadia, a math teacher at Westfield High School.

Teacher pay has been a hot-button issue at the Statehouse this year following numerous protests and walkouts by teachers across the country, many in similar Republican-led states, claiming they've not see any real wage growth in years or decades.

The commission's report must be delivered to the governor and General Assembly ahead of the 2021 legislative session.