Sen. Deery Shares Updates Other than influences in the home, nothing impacts a child’s educational success more than the quality of their teachers. That’s why I continue to prioritize making it easier to recruit and retain high-quality educators. One program that supports this effort is the Next Generation Hoosier Educators Scholarship, which can provide up to $10,000 per year in scholarship support for our future educators. Applicants must be both high-achieving academically and commit to working in an Indiana school for at least five years. Last session, I also authored and passed bills to support our best teachers. One of my bills, which is now law, allows school leaders to give their most valued teachers a raise without having to first get permission from the teacher’s union. Another law I passed created a new path for college students studying Science, Technology, Engineering or Math to find an easier door into the classroom. Given the number of STEM majors at Purdue, this was an exceptionally important pathway for our district. Senate Republicans have also prioritized competitive teacher pay by requiring schools to direct more funding toward teacher salaries and ensuring a minimum teacher salary of $45,000. Thanks to our great teachers, Indiana has seen record educational achievements in recent years, including unprecedented growth in third grade reading skills, record improvements on the nation’s report card and major growth in math skills. I believe that as we continue to grow the number of students learning from top-quality educators, we will see even more of these gains. Growth in educational attainment is essential because it leads to higher incomes, stronger economies, and a thriving state. If you know someone who would make a great teacher, please tell them about the Next Generation Hoosier Educators Scholarship. Applications are currently open!
