GiaQuinta: There is still no plan to pay teachers more

INDIANAPOLIS—Indiana House Democratic Leader Phil GiaQuinta (D-Fort Wayne) today released the following statement in response to the Governor’s State of the State Address:

“I was very disappointed that Governor Holcomb’s speech did not include a plan to specifically increase teacher pay this year.

“Instead, what I did hear was a $250 million pension liability relief proposal for 2021 that could possibly lead to an increase in teacher pay at some point. After years of inaction on this issue, I find Governor Holcomb’s proposal underwhelming.

“We have the money to give teachers the pay raise they deserve now. Just last week, House Republicans voted down a proposal that House Democrats offered, which would have given teachers a one-time bonus with a plan to address the teacher pay issue in the 2021 budget. We also offered other proposals that would take the $300 million budget surplus and invest it in the people of our state by increasing funding for pre-K, decreasing the cost of prescription drugs and driving more dollars toward school safety.

“House Democrats are offering a plan to serve Hoosiers first, and serve Hoosiers now. It’s past time that Indiana invests in our human capital so we can move our economy forward.”