Hitting the $40,000 threshold: A critical policy analysis of Indiana competitive teacher pay legislation

Abstract

Across the United States, there is a push to improve teacher pay. This study focuses on an Indiana state policy increasing minimum teacher salaries to $40,000 (Ind Code § 20-28-9-26). I explore how this one-size-fits-all policy varies in implementation across the urban-rural continuum through multivariate and spatial analyses. While findings illustrate a 99% success rate in hitting the minimum, results indicate this policy not only raised the floor but also raised the ceiling and disparities present before the policy were present after policy implementation. Moreover, this compensation policy created progress towards adequacy but maintained inequity, raising questions for future teacher salary policy.