INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana's teachers are laying out the top priorities they want lawmakers to address next year.
"We work directly with our members to determine what's happening with our schools,” said Indiana State Teachers Association president Keith Gambill.
Recruiting and retaining a diverse talent pool, collective bargaining and funding the schools are at the top of that list.
"The teachers there should look like the community, and right now, we know the teachers are overwhelmingly white,” he said.
ISTA is asking for more of a say in what they teach and how.
Educators also want to focus on the well-being of students, class sizes, work hours and teacher prep time for classes.
"The prep time is so important to make sure that our educators can review the work of students and do the lessons," said Gambill.
In the last session, lawmakers voted to give free textbooks to families. Gambill said while that was a good move, he wants to make sure enough resources are available to fully fund the schools so there are no cuts to programming or staff.
"Just the pay isn't the driving force, it's also the working conditions," he said.
That means creating what teachers hope is a better learning environment for both the children and the staff.