Indianapolis, IN—This week, Governor Eric Holcomb signed into law Senate Bill 387 (SB387), the Teacher Permits, Examinations, and Salaries bill, which incorporates extensive feedback and recommendations from Teach Plus Indiana Policy Fellows and alumni. Teach Plus teachers provided detailed comments on the bill’s content and offered recommendations that have been included as amendments. Teachers have testified before the Senate education committee and have been featured in the local media supporting the bill.
“Teach Plus teachers support this bill because it positively changes the working conditions of teachers in Indiana,” said Elsie Owolo, Teach Plus Indiana Policy Manager. “The new law allows for differentiated pay for teachers, a career specialists teaching permit, and a review of the educator licensing exam―all provisions that our teachers recommended. We look forward to the implementation of this law and the impact that it will have on the profession.”
SB387 provides for supplemental pay to special education and STEM teachers outside the bargaining agreement, with the intent of giving school corporations the flexibility to increase pay to attract and retain teachers of in-demand subjects. The law also establishes a Career Specialist teaching permit for those with occupational experience in the content area, and a technical advisory committee that will be tasked with studying and making recommendations about the educator licensing exam.
Teach Plus teachers’ recommendations that have been added to SB387 are:
- Provide an incentive to encourage teachers to get training and/or additional credentials to better meet the need for a strong computer science curriculum;
- Add a provision for emergency licensing for computer science teachers;
- Create a study committee on the teacher licensure examinations.
“SB387 is a big step in the right direction when it comes to addressing the Indiana teacher shortage,” said Shon Harris, a 4th grade teacher at Avondale Meadows Academy in Indianapolis and a Teach Plus Indiana Policy Fellow. “As the state legislature evaluates the current teacher licensing examinations to ensure that preparation materials directly align with the examinations, I am confident this law will aid aspiring teachers to enter the profession to better serve Hoosier children across the state.”
About Teach Plus
The mission of Teach Plus is to empower excellent, experienced teachers to take leadership over key policy and practice issues that affect their students’ success. Since 2009, Teach Plus has trained thousands of teacher leaders across the country who are driving policy changes and improving the instructional practices of teachers to create an education system driven by equity, access, and excellence for all students. teachplus.org
