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Indianapolis Public Schools is once again paying teachers the highest starting salaries in Marion County after the latest round of contract negotiations between districts and unions.
The contracts for this school year come as lawmakers push for a higher minimum state teacher salary in a bid to make teaching a more attractive career. Boosting teacher pay is also one of new Gov. Mike Braun’s priorities. But raising the state minimum might not have much impact on teachers in Indianapolis district schools: Nearly all of the 11 Marion County school districts offer a starting salary that’s at least $10,000 above the statewide minimum of $40,000.
IPS offers the highest minimum salary at $53,460, followed by the Metropolitan School District of Pike Township at $53,000. All districts except Franklin Township Community School Corporation offer a starting salary of at least $50,000.
IPS boosted its starting pay to above the $50,000 mark in 2022, creating a competitive threshold for nearby districts to meet. The Metropolitan School District of Wayne Township surpassed the district in starting salary last school year, but IPS returns as the district paying the highest starting salary for 2024-25.
Six of the 11 districts negotiated new contracts this year, while the remainder are in the second year of two-year contracts.
The contracts don’t cover charter schools, which are separate from the districts and are not unionized.
Depending on the school district’s contract, teachers can also receive stipends in addition to base pay. These can include extra money for overseeing extracurricular activities or athletics, or for having specialized teaching certification such as National Board Certification.
(Additional stipends are not included in base pay increases in the table below).
Under state law, teachers who are rated as “ineffective” or “improvement necessary” for the prior school year — the two lowest ratings on the teacher evaluation scale — are not eligible for an increase in base pay.
Statewide, the average annual teacher salary increased to $60,557 in 2024, about $2,000 above the prior year.
While IPS has the highest starting pay, its average salary was the lowest in the city last school year. That could be for a number of reasons, including a higher proportion of less experienced teachers or a salary range where more experienced teachers are not paid as much as in other districts.
Average teacher salaries in Marion County districts for 2023-24 ranged from $55,883 in IPS to $71,659 in the School Town of Speedway. All but two districts — IPS and Franklin Township — pay above the statewide average.
Lawmakers seek to boost minimum teacher pay
Legislators have different ideas for just how much Indiana teachers’ minimum pay should increase.
One bill by Republican Sen. Linda Rogers would raise the minimum salary to $45,000. Another bill by Democratic Sen. Fady Qaddoura would raise it to $65,000.
Those proposals, while supported by some districts, could carry a hefty price tag.
The Metropolitan School District of Lawrence Township said in a statement it strongly supports an increase in base teacher pay.
“This type of investment will enhance our ability to attract and retain exceptional teachers who are vital to student success,” the district said.
For Beech Grove City Schools, raising the minimum salary to $65,000 would cost roughly an additional $1.2 million plus benefits, according to the district of roughly 3,000 students.
And in Pike Township, raising minimum teacher pay without additional state funding would likely require another referendum, according to Superintendent Larry Young. In addition, the district has to balance raises for veteran teachers with competitive starting salaries for newer teachers, Young said.
Young said he would like to increase the minimum salary in Pike regardless of whether the state passes legislation forcing districts to do so. But he’s doubtful lawmakers will agree to give the district more money to pay for the increase.
“I hope that’s something we can do with funding that comes to the schools, because our teachers absolutely deserve it,” he said. “But the only way we can do that is if the funding follows it.”
Amelia Pak-Harvey covers Indianapolis and Lawrence Township schools for Chalkbeat Indiana. Contact Amelia at apak-harvey@chalkbeat.org.
WFYI education reporter Sydney Dauphinais covers Marion County schools. Contact her at sdauphinais@wfyi.org.
