A measure that could help school districts retain high-demand teachers by excluding supplemental pay from collective bargaining advanced in the House Education Committee.
Some lawmakers are concerned the bill will create tension among teachers for competitive bonuses. However, the bill’s author said it is important to give districts tools to retain high-demand educators.
SB 249 is meant to help schools combat Indiana’s teacher shortage, especially in areas like STEM and special education, by offering teachers one- or two-year supplemental pay to stay with the district.
Under the proposal, school administrators would have to set aside money for supplemental pay before collective bargaining. The goal is to help districts keep teachers in high-demand or hard-to-fill subject areas who might otherwise leave for district offering higher pay.
“We want to give locals every tool available to try and meet those needs, and if we are not giving them the flexibility to, say, adapt to market need based on demand or shortages, then we’re tying them with one hand behind their back,” said Sen. Spencer Deery (R-West Lafayette), the bill’s author.
But some lawmakers said the bill could backfire if teachers who do not receive bonuses leave the district because they don’t feel valued.
“I think morale is a critical factor in education. And having some people ahead or decidedly ahead of other teachers is going to be a morale problem,” said Rep. Ed DeLaney (D-Indianapolis). “It’s a nice way to signal to those who aren’t in STEM, for example, that A, you’re not as valued, and B, maybe you should look elsewhere for a place where you are valued.”
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Rep. Tanya Pfaff (D-Terre Haute) said competition for limited supplemental pay could create tension between teachers and would likely increase open teaching positions. Even though that is one of the problems the bill aims to solve.
“Aren’t we pitting people against each other saying, 'Hey, you’re a math teacher. You get $1,000 more than the English teacher next to you?'" she said.
But Deery said he’s not concerned about that.
“I believe we should treat our teachers like the professionals that they are. And I think professionals understand market forces,” he said. “They understand that some disciplines are harder to recruit.”
DeLaney also said the bill erodes collective bargaining’s power because teachers may become more focused on asking for supplemental pay than bargaining to increase all teachers’ benefits and salaries across the board.
The Indiana School Boards Association said it supports the bill. The Indiana State Teachers Association said it would like to work with lawmakers on other solutions to raise teacher pay.
However, ISTA said the current version of the bill is better than the original, unamended version. The amended bill gives local districts more control over supplemental payments.
The bill passed along party lines and advances to the full House.
Kirsten is our education reporter. Contact her at kadair@wfyi.org or follow her on Twitter at @kirsten_adair.