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Dear Editor:
I recently read your article “ISBA asks lawmakers to seize ‘golden opportunity’.”
I agree with ISBA Executive Director Terry Spradlin; lawmakers have a chance right now to significantly improve local schools, specifically in terms of teacher compensation. Now more than ever, it is obvious that teachers deserve much more compensation than they receive. They deserve better working conditions, and their students deserve better learning conditions.
During the pandemic, so many K-12 teachers have been asked to teach in ways that they didn’t have experience with. For example, teaching a class at the same speed that they usually would, with the same amount of students that they usually would, but half of the class is learning virtually, and the other half of the class is socially-distanced and masked-up in the classroom.
I am not against safety precautions such as mandatory masks or social distancing, but so many new things for teachers to be experiencing with their students all at the same time has to be extremely difficult.
Indiana being ranked 39th in a list of per-pupil spending across the United States is not impressive. Studies have shown that student success rises and employment turnover rates for teachers decrease when teachers’ wages are raised.
Lastly, increasing teacher compensation will attract more candidates to apply to open teaching positions. During a time when teacher’s salaries are so low, very few people choose to pursue the profession.
Teachers are people, too!
Hannah Weaver
Fishers