The Purdue chapter of the American Association of University Professors registers its support for and solidarity with the Indiana State Teachers Association (ISTA) as the ISTA mobilizes to demand fair wages and more resources for their schools and their students.
Indiana has lagged behind neighboring states as investment in public education has been de-prioritized during budgeting processes over the past decade. According to a March 11, 2019 study published by the ISTA, Indiana has plummeted in national rankings in regards to its support for K-12 education, as measured through funding.
The Indiana General Assembly’s failure to support K-12 teachers in this way has led Indiana to fall behind neighboring states. Our state is currently located in the bottom half of the national rankings for public education with regards to average teacher salary, instructional salary per student and instructional spending per student. This lack of support hurts teachers, and it hurts students by creating unneeded obstacles for their future success in school and in their life after graduation.
We all wish for Indiana’s students to be provided with access to a world-class public education. We stand with our K-12 colleagues as they demand for a funding increase of no less than 3%.
Our K-12 colleagues prepare the students who will be sitting in our university classrooms in the coming years. We demand that the Indiana General Assembly properly fund the high-quality public education that our state deserves, and we demand that our K-12 colleagues providing that education be compensated fairly and in line with national and regional benchmarks.
We urge our membership to contact legislators and tell them that anything below a 3% increase in K-12 investment is unacceptable. Our members can individually demonstrate support and contact legislators through different ISTA links.
Passed by AAUP-Purdue Chapter, 4/5/2019