INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — School funding in 2025 will be a question of priorities, not financial capacity, said a state senator on Tuesday.

Sen. Fady Qaddoura, D-Indianapolis filed legislation to raise Indiana’s minimum teacher salary to $65,000 per year, up from the current $40,000.

The bill would also raise the eligibility cap for On My Way Pre-K from 150 percent of the federal poverty line to 185 percent. That would open up the program to households making up to $57,720 per year for a family of four, according to the latest federal poverty level guidelines. Qaddoura estimates it would allow another 30,000 families to benefit from the program.

Qaddoura said raising teacher pay would help Indiana attract and retain good quality teachers. In addition, hiring more teachers would lead to smaller class sizes because the teacher-to-student ratio wouldn’t be so lopsided.

“With constant teacher turnover, with vacancies across the state, students will not receive the quality education that they deserve. I firmly believe that the working conditions of our teachers have a direct impact on the learning outcomes of our students,” Qaddoura said.

The teacher pay issue has long dominated the debate over education. According to the Indiana State Teachers Association, Indiana ranks 41st out of 50 states for average teacher salary.

Gov.-elect Mike Braun, a Republican, has said he wants to find financially sustainable ways to increase teacher pay. In an interview with News 8 a few days before the election, Braun suggested the state could redirect some funding earmarked for school facilities back toward teacher pay.

Qaddoura said Braun’s statements in support of higher teacher pay, coupled with his own conversations with Republican lawmakers, show the two parties agree broadly on Indiana’s educational needs, disagreeing only on the particulars of how to implement what the state needs.

He said he’s willing to work with both parties to get his bill’s proposals across the finish line in some form.

Qaddoura’s bill also would increase the funding each school receives through the school funding formula.

Schools would receive a 6 percent increase in basic funding during both the 2026 and 2027 budget years.

In addition, each school would receive a 6 percent boost both years for extra funding for special education, socioeconomically disadvantaged students (such as those whose families use Medicaid or the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) and career and vocational technical education.

The bill sets aside $200 million to cover the costs of textbooks, a provision Qaddoura said would eliminate the need for school corporations to supplement state textbook purchase funding with their own budgets.

“For a parent in the state of Indiana, what we desire for our kids is to receive the highest level of quality education, to have a stable school system where you don’t have constant turnover. If you’re a parent of a child who has a complex health care condition and your child attends our public schools, we want to be sure that we have the staff and the resources to take care of your child to the best of our ability,” Qaddoura said.

The 2025 legislative session begins Jan. 8 and is scheduled to run until April 29 at the latest.