Some Indiana teachers don't believe the latest Republican-backed state budget plan does enough to support public schools—and legislative leaders are warning that they might even be faced with tightening up that spending proposal.

A seven-member commission picked by Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb to recommend ways to boost teacher pay doesn't include any current teachers or school leaders.

House Republicans will release their budget proposal within the next couple of weeks, with the Senate then taking its turn before the deadline on a final agreement by late April.

Fewer than half of Indianapolis Public Schools teachers are members of the Indianapolis Education Association, and some wonder if there is any point in paying dues to join a weakened union that seems to offer them very little.

A Republican bill calling on districts to raise teacher pay by making other budget cuts passed an Indiana House of Representatives education committee vote Wednesday, despite sharp criticism from school officials and education advocates.

A month after voters approved a vast funding increase for Indianapolis Public Schools, the administration and the district teachers union have reached a tentative deal for a new contract that would boost teacher pay by an average of 6.3 percent.

Republican Statehouse leaders say they want to increase funding for Indiana's embattled child welfare agency and find a way to pay teachers more, but that money will be tight when they craft the state's next two-year budget.