MERRILLVILLE – Catholic school teachers in the U.S. typically earn between $40,000 and $70,000 annually, with national averages often cited in the mid-$50,000 range, which is generally lower than public school counterparts.
In an effort to close that gap, Bishop Robert J. McClory announced in June 2024 the start of a $50 million endowment that would lend support to teacher salaries in Northwest Indiana.
When an endowment is started, it takes time to build donor partnerships and have the funds grow. It doesn’t happen quickly. That is why the Catholic Schools Office in the Diocese of Gary is pleased to announce the progress that has been made with its Catholic Schools Professional Development and Compensation Endowment.
Within the last few months, a donor came forward, giving a sizable amount of money to officially start the endowment. This initial gift was made in the amount of $3.5 million. The diocese is hopeful that another $2 million from a different entity may also be on the way soon.
“That is fabulous and so exciting,” said Colleen Brewer, superintendent of Catholic schools. “Now that we have that initial gift, we can start to promote it more.”
Brewer shared that the school's office is working on promotional materials to continue bringing awareness to the endowment. With the endowment established, there is now a place where she said those looking to help support schools can give and it will support the whole network– an endowment that is “working for our teachers and our schools to help raise teachers’ salaries.”
The goal is to raise $50 million in endowed funds, with the earnings going to supplement salaries for the teachers after the diocese raises the initial $30 million. Brewer explained the endowment is meant to grow and be a long-term investment. Once the goal is reached, the diocese will decide how the earnings will be divided.
Brewer acknowledged that working as a teacher sometimes comes with a financial sacrifice, and often there is an additional sacrifice to being a Catholic school teacher. She commended the school principals and finance councils within the diocese for doing what they can when it comes to teacher salaries.
“I want to create that culture where the teachers are compensated as much as we can,” she said. “It may not be one-to-one equal, and that's not necessarily the goal, but we can get better.”
Brewer stressed that the endowment may still be 10 years away from being utilized, but was excited to share the progress in the development of the endowment. The Diocese of Gary, she explained, strives to be a model that can then share its successes with other dioceses around the country.
“We want other dioceses to be able to look at us and ask ‘What did they do?’ and ‘How did they do it?’” Brewers said. “Then we can share ‘Here's how we grew’ and ‘Here are some of the same practices we used.’ We want to learn from each other locally as well as at the national level. That's part of the dream.”
Judy Holicky, coordinator of stewardship and development, said reports show that teachers in the state of Indiana spend $650 to $1,400 of their own funds annually to provide books and materials, placing Indiana among the higher-spending states.
Through the kindness of the Dean and Barbara White Family Foundation, the 20 schools in the Gary diocese received an influx of money this school year to improve and sustain quality, values-based education. In the diocese, 98% of Catholic high school students are accepted into four-year colleges compared to 90% of high school students statewide, and 85% nationally.
“Our Catholic high school students thrive with high self-expectations, in a success-oriented culture,” Holicky said. “Values such as respect, honesty, justice, trust and integrity are woven into Catholic school academics and always have been. We are constantly working to improve our offerings and to build strong Christ-centered leaders.”
For more information on the Catholic Schools Professional Development and Compensation Endowment, visit https://catholicfuture.org/ or call (219) 769-9292.
