Lawrence Township teachers rally for salary increase
LAWRENCE, Ind (WISH) — Teachers in the Metropolitan School District of Lawrence Township of Marion County are calling on the corporation to give them a raise as negotiations for their collective bargaining agreement continues.
Dozens of teachers rallied Tuesday afternoon outside of Lawrence Central High School in the midst of contract negotiations for the 2024-2025 school year.
Amanda Rose, co-president of Lawrence Education Association , would not say how much of an increase teachers are seeking during the negotiation process. “We see discrepancies throughout the district compared us to other districts not just the donut districts around Lawrence Township but the donut districts around Marion County.”
Rose said some teachers work a second or third job to supplement their teaching salaries.
Teachers are also overwhelmed by large class sizes that can reach 30 students, and are also hampered by only getting 45 minutes of prep time. However, that isn’t likely to change due to a state law curbing teachers’ abilities to negotiate their contracts. “We are not allowed to bargain things like class sizes or teacher prep time, and those are the things we really want to bring attention to,” Rose said.