INDIANAPOLIS — Administrators at two Steuben County schools that have taken a look at the almost 200-page document released by the state have reservations the report on teacher pay.
Earlier this week, a task force charged with the role of giving recommendations on how to improve pay for teachers across Indiana released its report with 37 possible changes for schools and government to adopt.
Bill Stitt, superintendent and chief financial officer of Fremont Community Schools said the way he read the list, it will hurt people more than help.
“And that’s just not what I am all about,” Stitt said. “We need to find ways to give more to our people, to our students.”
He feels to date, Fremont has done “a pretty good job” at raising salaries. In the coming years, he said, he wants to see the beginning teacher salary come close to the $40,000 mark.
This is one of the recommendations in the document, as the task force recommended all districts establish a minimum of $40,000 by the 2022-23 school year.
“Our top level pay is very competitive,” he said. “And that has let us get some great people when we have openings.”
Stitt believes that it takes more than just teachers to operate a school, so he looks at everyone employed in the corporation and how to best serve them because, as he said, he wants to attract the best to Fremont.
“Pay wise we’re doing OK,” he said. “In the fall, we will negotiate again to get more.”
Some cost-saving measures Fremont has already put into place include having Stitt’s job as both the superintendent and CFO done by one person instead of as two separate positions.
Stitt also said the school and Cameron Memorial Community Hospital will, come January, be offering telehealth services for faculty and staff as both a cost savings offering and to help foster a continued partnership between the two.
“January 4, we should have telehealth for faculty and staff, anyone on school insurance,” he said. “We will also work with Cameron’s pharmacy for prescriptions. This is just one of the many ways to cost save to help pay our faculty and staff more.”
Looking at medical-related cost savings was another suggestion in the document released.
Stitt feels there are still plenty of things to look at to help not just Fremont, but all of the schools in the area, with financials.
“We have the conversations about what can we do as schools to help our students and be good stewards of our finances,” he said.
Metropolitan School District of Steuben County Superintendent Brent Wilson said he believes a lot of the issue surrounding teacher pay stems back to 2010 when then-governor Mitch Daniels cut $300 million in public school funding.
“The economy has improved since then, but the state has never returned those funds to the schools,” said Wilson in an email. “This puts the emphasis back on local communities to determine what they want their school systems to offer their students.”
Until schools are viewed as an investment, said Wilson, there won’t be much change in the form of funding from the state.
“Local decisions will have to be made on everything from class size to extracurricular offerings since the taxpayers will have to step up and directly fund a larger percentage of their school district’s budget,” he said.
Operating referendums, which have been passed in many districts in Steuben County over the last several years, were another suggestion. These would ask voters to raise their local tax rate to create additional revenue into the district.
The commission organized also recommended the state remove barriers that would make it easier for districts to consolidate. The state could require schools to explore the option upon the retirement or resignation of a superintendent and offer incentives to districts that choose to combine.
It was also recommended that the state lawmakers invest more in public education to help Indiana catch up to other states to become one of the higher-paying states in the region.
“While Indiana has a significant gap to bridge before reaching competitive teacher pay, the state is well-positioned for the task. There are multiple paths to competitive compensation, and the 37 recommendations in this report provide a roadmap to school leaders and state lawmakers for achieving compensation levels and practices that will elevate the teaching profession, making Indiana’s teaching positions more attractive to the best educators and ensuring our students receive an education of the finest quality,” the commission said in its conclusion.
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December 19, 2020 at 12:00PM
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