Yesterday, Governor Holcomb announced the volunteer citizen members of the Next Level Teacher Compensation Commission as a part of his effort to make teacher pay competitive with surrounding states. The commission has been tasked with determining what constitutes competitive teacher compensation in Indiana and with providing recommendations for how to achieve it. The commission will deliver the recommendations to the governor and the General Assembly prior to the 2021 legislative session. In addition to creating the commission, Gov. Holcomb has proposed increasing K-12 funding by two percent in the first year of the state’s budget and then an additional 2 percent increase in the second year of the budget.
Gov. Holcomb also proposed paying off a pension liability that schools currently pay. This state investment will save all local schools an estimated $140 million over the next biennium with continued savings in the years following. The commission will gather for an organizational meeting in the near future.