Starting salaries rise to $42,000
By Andy Klotz—
Muncie, Ind. – Less than a month after approving $1,000 stipends for all active school district employees for the additional work required due to COVID-19, the Muncie Community Schools Board of Trustees is boosting teachers’ pay again. The board has approved salary increases for all teachers ranging from $2,400 to $5,200 annually. It has also raised starting teacher pay to $42,000, up from $38,500.
The raises are a result of increased K-12 education funding allocated by the Indiana General Assembly in the last legislative session. Teachers will begin receiving their larger paychecks at the start of the 2021-22 school year.
“We couldn’t be happier to be directing these funds to the dedicated teachers throughout our school district,” MCS Board President James Williams said. “This board values every one of our teachers. We know how hard they work and how much they care, and we’re elated to provide compensation that reflects that.”
Because of a salary freeze for several years prior to the Ball State-Muncie Community Schools partnership in 2018, the MCS School Board is providing an additional $1,000 to all teachers who have 5-10 years of experience in the MCS system. That group, therefore, is receiving the largest bump in pay. Here is breakdown of the approved raises:
- 1 – 4 years of teaching experience: $4,300
- 5 – 10 years of teaching experience: $4,200 + $1,000 MCS experience = $5,200
- 11 – 19 years of teaching experience: $4,000 + $1,000 MCS experience = $5,000
- 20+ years of teaching experience: $2,400 + $1,000 MCS experience = $3,400
“It’s important for us to show all our teachers how much we value them, and we have tried to rectify the inequities for those teachers who stuck with us despite having no increases for five of the last seven years,” MCS Director of Public Education and CEO Lee Ann Kwiatkowski said. “We’re already seeing the benefits of recent stipends and raises. We’ve dramatically cut down on our teacher turnover from just a few years ago.”
In total, the raises will cost the district approximately $1.3 million.
About Muncie Community Schools
Serving the local community since 1855, Muncie Community Schools (MCS) educates more than 5,000 students at six elementary schools, two middle schools and one high school while also managing several other educational facilities. Through its unique partnership with Ball State University, MCS strives to maximize each student’s potential so he or she can be a positive, productive member of society. Find out more about MCS or Director of Public Education and CEO Lee Ann Kwiatkowski at muncieschools.org.
