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Indiana State Teachers Association asks lawmakers to address educator working conditions

By Kirsten Adair

Posted December 11, 2024

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ISTA Vice President Jennifer Smith-Margraf said ISTA wants Indiana lawmakers to prioritize public school funding, teacher retention and early childhood education during the next legislative session. (Courtesy of ISTA) (Kirsten Adair)

The Indiana State Teachers Association shared its policy priorities ahead of the 2025 legislative session. ISTA said it will advocate for equity in school funding, measures to retain more teachers and increased access to early childhood education, among other priorities.

ISTA Vice President Jennifer Smith-Margraf said many teachers are retiring early or leaving the profession altogether.

“We know with the shortage that we’re facing that we need to focus on the things that are going to retain educators in our classrooms,” she said.

ISTA is asking lawmakers to implement 12 weeks of paid parental leave, raise teacher salaries to adjust for inflation, and support cost of living increases for retirees.

The union is also asking lawmakers to consolidate recurring training requirements into five-year cycles. Smith-Margraf said some educators quit because they need multiple jobs and can’t fit in mandatory training outside of school hours, even with stipends.

“If that stipend is not matching the income that they’re losing from that other job that they have to work, then that causes them a problem in terms of being able to stay in the profession or being able to do things that everyone would like to do,” she said.

ISTA is also asking lawmakers to set aside funding for a new literacy endorsement and eliminate the high stakes testing currently required to earn it.

“If folks are having trouble passing that test or having to pay for it, it’s a barrier to them staying. They’re going to be more likely to leave if they get an opportunity to go somewhere else,” Smith-Margraf said.

Additionally, ISTA is also asking lawmakers to fully fund public schools, ensure enough state funding to cover students’ textbook fees and address classroom safety concerns.

Smith-Margraf said protecting teachers’ rights to participate in collective bargaining is a crucial part of influencing educator safety and working conditions. She added that more teachers leave the profession when those rights are impeded, which worsens Indiana’s educator shortage.

“They’re burned out from many different things,” she said about educators. “And they’ve told us repeatedly, pay and benefits, and my working conditions.”

Smith-Margraf said ISTA is hopeful lawmakers will also expand pre-K access this year and lower the required age for children to enter school. She added that issues like low reading and math scores could improve if more children participate in high-quality pre-K and enter school a year or two earlier.

“If we don’t have those children coming into the system until they’re older, we’re already putting them at a disadvantage,” she said.

Kirsten is our education reporter. Contact her at kadair@wfyi.org or follow her on Twitter at @kirsten_adair.

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Indiana State Teachers Association asks lawmakers to address educator working conditions

By Kirsten Adair

Posted December 11, 2024

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Indiana Public Media | WFIU - NPR | WTIU - PBS

Indiana Public Media News

Indiana State Teachers Association asks lawmakers to address educator working conditions

By Kirsten Adair

Posted December 11, 2024

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Recent Education Stories