News Release

INDIANAPOLIS — Indianapolis is once again the highest-paying school district in Marion County after the latest round of contract negotiations between teacher’s unions and the school districts.

The year’s contracts arrive as lawmakers seek higher minimum state teacher salary in an attempt to make teaching in the state desirable. Senate Bill 146, which was unveiled on Thursday, Jan. 23, grants 20 days of parental leave and increases minimum state teacher salary to $45,000 — a $5,000 increase over the current $40,000. But Bill 146 would not impact Marion County at current pay rates: all districts except Franklin Township offer starting salaries of at least $50,000.

Indianapolis Public Schools’ starting pay cleared $50,000 starting in 2022, which created a competitive incentive for nearby districts to raise salaries. Wayne Township’s starting salary was greater than IPS’ in the 2023-24 school year, but IPS returned as the highest payer for 2024-25.

Six of the county’s 11 districts negotiated new contracts, while the remaining five continued two-year contracts. These contracts do not cover charter schools, which are not unionized and are separate from the school district.

While the starting pay of IPS was highest, its average salary was the city’s lowest last school year. Average teacher salary in Marion County for the 2023-24 school year ranged from $55,883 in IPS to $71,659 in Speedway.

IPS and Franklin Township are the only districts that do not pay above the state average.

Depending on contract, teachers from some districts can also receive stipends on top of their base pay. They qualify by by having specialized teaching certificates such as National Board Certification, or by overseeing extracurricular activities like athletics.

Teachers rated on the bottom two tiers of the four-level Teacher Rating system, “improvement necessary” or “ineffective,” do not qualify for pay increases.

Statewide, average teacher salary increased by $2,000 to $60,557 in the 2023-24 school year. While the increase was the 18th highest nationally, Indiana’s average teacher salary still ranks 36th in the U.S.

Lawmakers have proposed different ideas for increasing minimum pay for Indiana teachers. Sen. Linda Rogers’ Bill 146 raises minimum salary to $45,000, while Sen. Fady Qaddoura’s Senate Bill 213 would raise it to $65,000.