Hendricks County lawmakers respond to new state budget, ‘historic’ K-12 investments

STATEHOUSE (April 23, 2021) – “Relying on fiscal responsibility, our state weathered the past year better than expected. While other states are looking at tough budget cuts, Indiana has the opportunity to make strong investments in Hoosier priorities. With half our budget already dedicated to K-12 education, we are increasing education funding by an additional $1.9 billion over the next two years. With this investment, Indiana is meeting and exceeding the recommendations for increasing teacher salaries that were proposed by the Next Level Teacher Compensation Commission. Local school boards must prioritize this funding to make sure it supports raising teacher pay,” said State Rep. Jeff Thompson (R-Lizton), chair of the House Ways and Means K-12 Subcommittee.

“Indiana consistently puts education at the top of the priority list when it comes to funding, and this year is no exception. Before the most recent revenue forecast, schools across the state were expected to see an increase in funding. Thanks to our strong conservative leadership and our economy rebounding, our state is able to further our commitment to Hoosier students and educators, and increase our investment substantially. Locals should use this additional funding to increase educator salaries to help retain and attract top talent in our classrooms,” said State Rep. Bob Behning (R-Indianapolis), chair of the House Education Committee.

“This state budget makes an unprecedented investment in our K-12 schools, including providing an additional $600 million to public schools annually to increase teacher pay. This funding exceeds the Next Level Teacher Compensation Commission’s recommendations and will help draw more Hoosiers into the teaching profession. Schools will be asked to set their minimum starting salary to $40,000 a year, and required to direct at least 45% of tuition support dollars to teacher pay. If these benchmarks aren’t met, schools will have to report to the state as to why not. This historic education funding is in addition to key investments for infrastructure, mental health and law enforcement, all while reducing taxpayer-funded debt, and providing opportunities for future tax cuts and reforms,” said State Rep. Greg Steuerwald (R-Avon).