Governor Announces Teacher Pay Commission Members

In last month’s State of the State Address, Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb announced he’d create a commission to study how Indiana can make teacher pay competitive with surrounding states.  This week, he’s named its members.

The task force will determine what competitive teacher pay should look like for Indiana and make policy recommendations on how to achieve competitive compensation ahead of the 2021 legislative session.

A handful of business executives have been named to the commission, as well as a representative from Ivy Tech Community College.

According to a press release, an advisory council will work with commission members to offer “further knowledge and expertise,” and includes one teacher and a school superintendent.

READ MORE: Lawmakers: We Need More Data To Address Teacher Pay

During his January speech, Holcomb also unveiled plans to use $140 million from the state’s surplus over the next two years to pay off teacher pensions, with the goal that schools will pass along those savings to teachers’ pay.

The commission will gather for an initial meeting in the near future.

Commission members:

• Commission Chairman Michael L. Smith (Indianapolis), former chairman, president and CEO of Mayflower Group and former executive vice president and CFO of Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield
• Jená Bellezza (Gary), COO of Indiana Parenting Institute
• Tom Easterday (Zionsville), former senior executive vice president, secretary & chief legal officer for Subaru of Indiana Automotive
• Marianne Glick (Indianapolis), chair of the Eugene & Marilyn Glick Family Foundation and board member of the Gene B. Glick Company
• Bob Jones (Evansville), chairman and CEO of Old National Bancorp
• Katie Jenner (Madison), vice president of K-12 initiatives and statewide partnerships at Ivy Tech
• Nancy Jordan (Fort Wayne), senior vice president of Lincoln Financial Group

Advisory Council members:

• Melissa Ambre (Noblesville), director of the Office of School Finance for the Indiana Department of Education
• Lee Ann Kwiatkowski (Greenwood), senior education advisor to Gov. Holcomb
• Emily Holt (Arcadia), math teacher at Westfield High School
• Dan Holub (Indianapolis), executive director of the Indiana State Teachers Association
• Denise Seger (Granger), chief human resource officer for Concord Community Schools in Elkhart
• David Smith (Evansville), superintendent of Evansville Vanderburgh School Corporation