| Putting Education First It was the inventors of democracy — the ancient Greeks — who first suggested that the foundation of society is the education of its youth. I believe the family, the church and the school all play a role, and I have centered my private and public life around promoting all three. In this newsletter I would like to highlight some of the ways I have prioritized building strong schools. First, I have advocated for reforms to teacher compensation. I co-authored a new law that raises the average statewide teacher salary — which is currently $63,424 — and requires that it be no less $45,000. But teacher pay, like all occupations, should be driven by market forces. That’s why I passed another law allowing school leaders to give their most valued teachers a raise without having to first get permission from the teacher’s union. Over the last two budget cycles, the General Assembly increased tuition support by $2.4 billion, and my legislation is helping make sure those dollars are used effectively. Second, I passed a law making it easier to license qualified people to work in schools. Too many kids are taught by individuals hired on an emergency basis without the necessary training or credentials. My bill creates a new, low-cost, expedited path for anyone with a STEM degree to receive the additional training they need to succeed in the classroom and compete for education jobs. Third, I supported a law requiring educators who teach reading to be trained in the Science of Reading. This is an evidence-based approach that emphasizes phonics and is now the required state curriculum for all. By pairing this shift with more accountability for results, we are turning around our schools and achieving historic improvements. Indiana’s reading scores on the nation’s report card have risen dramatically: fourth graders improved from 19th to 6th in the nation, and eighth graders improved from 17th to 6th in the nation. Our third graders also achieved a nearly 5% increase in literacy rates—the largest gain in reading proficiency since launching the IREAD test in 2013. This amounts to an additional 6,000 students who are now proficient in foundational reading skills. Thanks to the hard work of our schools, teachers, parents and state leaders, these accomplishments are only the beginning. |
