Indiana's Next Level Teacher Compensation Commission Agenda and the Role of Local Education Foundations

• In Event: Philanthropy and Education: Power, Allyship, and Influence in Grant-Making

Abstract

To combat the disequilibrium of teacher supply and demand, Indiana’s Next Level Teacher Compensation Commission Agenda (2020) recommends raising teacher salaries statewide and suggests local education foundations (LEFs) as a school district partner for raising private funding to offset the increase. Using government failure theory as a backdrop, I explore selected literature and data related to teacher compensation and consider the capacity of LEFs as a potential source to reduce the wage gap. With this, I suggest that even partial shifting of the incidence of public teacher compensation from the government to LEFs implies government failure. Although private philanthropy is not a viable long-term solution for teacher compensation, LEFs can play a role in combatting issues related to teacher retention.

Author

• Sara D. Bender, Ball State University
  Presenting Author