On October 24, 2022, the Perry Township School Board held a meeting to discuss this year’s budget. For the 2022-23 school year, each teacher in the district will receive an extra $4,000 along with their base pay effective immediately.

According to the press release, Perry Township, along with schools across the country,  have been facing a teacher and staff shortage. The teacher pay raise was placed in hopes to address this ongoing issue.

“By offering higher salaries and great benefits, we hope to not just be competitive with other districts around the state, but we intend to be a top employer for quality educators and in turn, the best place for kids to learn,” Superintendent Patrick Mapes said.

Despite having less staff compared to previous years, the township still provides exceptional benefits compared to other districts in the state.

“The health insurance is pretty well taken care of because there’s a group of schools that buy health insurance together: Us, Decatur Township, Franklin Township, Lebanon, Speedway and Beech Grove,” Matthew Henninger, PEA President, said. “We all buy health insurance together and that’s why it’s a better rate.”

As stated in Perry’s contract, teachers receive 10 sick days and 5 personal days each school year, which is a little more than other schools. It is also required by the state that 3% of a teacher’s salary goes towards a retirement fund. However, Perry teachers receive an additional 6.6%, meaning 9.6% of their salaries are put towards retirement.

Hopefully the benefits and higher pay being offered will improve the staffing shortage and bring more teachers into the district.