The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1884-11-22
Correspondence Baltimore County Union.
THE NEW SCHEDULE" OF SALARIES
FOR TEACHERS.


Messrs. Editors On Tuesday, November 11th,
the Board of School Commissioners, without no.
tice or without even, it now seems, ordinary pre-
caution or forethought hurled bomb into the
camp of our schools which has created great con-
sternation among teachers and provoked much in
dignation not only among the teachers but among
the people. A schedule, called temporary" was
adopted, and all re-existng laws, articles and
amendments in the bylaws and constitution re-
lating to salaries were rescinded. The new
schedule, which is most ingenious, more unjust,
and the very greatestnjur that public schools
of our county could receive, seems to have been
hurriedly adopted and unanimously passed with
an idea in the minds of several Commissioners
that they were taking money from the poorest
paid class of public officials in the county and
saving it to the richest county in the State.
When notice of this new schedule was sent out
to the teachers q meeting of all interested was
called by G. Clinton Hanna, principal of school T.
district 9. About forty teachers, in response to
this CALL assembled at the hall over j. W. Bond
Il Co.'s book store, in Baltimore on last Saturday,
at IL o'clock a. m. G. Clinton Hanna was elected
president of the meeting and f. G.. Cover secretary
The new schedule Of salaries was discussed at
length by the teachers present, and committee
was appointed to wait upon the School Board at
their next meeting, and ask why this change had
been made, hoping that in the purpose intended
to be effected might be found reason for so great
u
teachers of Baltimore county.
This committee, consisting of G. Clinton Hanna,
chairman, Jos. S. Wilmington, W. ]. Blair and E.
G. Cover, attended the meeting of the School
Board, on Wednesday of this week, and presented
their views, asking for information as to the
reason of their action. The only answer received
was given by Mr. Samuel Rankin, and that
in substance that the new schedule had been
adopted for the sole purpose of increasing the sal
aries of the teachers of his district and he did
not care whether it increased the expenses of the
public schools or not that the teachers, whose
salaries were reduced, would now receive what
they were north. The other members of the Board
were peculiarly reticent and decided to hold a
conference, all alone without the presence of q
committee of interested teachers, and they would
then and there reconsider, &C., &C., and would do
what was right. Of course this was extremely
satisfactory to the teachers whose salaries had
been reduced from fifty to two hundred and fifty
dollars per year.
In looking at this new schedule there is but one
thing in it which is at all commendable, and that
is that the very poorly paid teachers will receive
more money. This is perhaps no more than JUS
tce, and no man, however mean, could possibly
find fault with increase of salary for these men
and women, who have been working hard and are
good and faithful servants. But it has not only
increased the wages of the hard working, earnest
teachers of the small Schools but also those of the
drone, the careless, Indifferent teacher, who puts
in much time for much money, and never
awakes from the lethargy of cold fOgyism," never
prospers and never makes his school prosper
True, in county We have but few such, yet
there some. Now the injustice, garing
tropical sun, is simply this: In order to increase
the pay of the teachers Of small schools the money
is taken from the able, veteran school teachers,
who have raised themselves and their schools to o
moderate stage of prosperity, who have worked
their way from the small school laboriOusly upward
to higher and greater fields of labor in fact from
those who have made the public schools and pub
lie school system of Baltimore county the pride Of
her people and the envy of the State of Maryland.
again say this action of the School Board is
unjust, and for many reasons. These teachers
whose salaries have been reduced rank the able,
skillful teachers of the county 1t has taken more
money, more time and more labor to prepare
themselves for their work-to learn their trade
| than it takes for any other branch of business
which is paid for out of county taxes. 1t is a
business-a life business-with them, and it was
great incentive to know that earnest effort, finer
skill, better capabilities and greater ability would
| be appreciated and rewarded and remunerated by
those who gave them employment. Now their
| higher calling has been degraded and no reward
offers itself to the enterprising in fact it is now
more desirable to not advance it is better to keep
your little school and confine yourself to narrow
theatre of action and never progress.
| The question is now open and the time has now
come for the people of Baltimore county to step
| forward and say whether they want good poor
schools. If they want cheap schools they can get
them readily by hiring cheap teachers. Poor pay
means poor teach. Poor pay means poor work in
any branch of business. No one gives to the man
of little responsibility little ability skill the
same pay that he does to the man whom he con-
siders the skilled workman. The teachers of our
large schools have been appointed by the School
| Board to their positions on account of what they
thought to be their superiority. Therefore in the
| opinion of the same Board they the able
teachers and should receive higher wages on ac-
count of their superiority.
Let the people stop and think and compare the
salaries of other county officers with the teachers.
The Treasurer and the Register of Wills receive
| The County Commissioners receive each for two
days work in week 81 900 per annum, and their
clerks each $1,000. The keeper of Court House,
who attends to its cleaning, &C., receives $780,,
and the Waterman 500 per snnum. The police
marshal $500, each chief of police LOO, and
each policeman $3.50 per annum station house
keepers, 5000 and upwards; removers of garbage,
from $500 to 5000 per annum. The average
school teachers salary is about $400-the highest
81, 1000, and the lowest about $500 per annum.-
This is surely premium upon brains and intel
ect and education with vengeance. The man
of the garbage cart receives more salary than the
average school teacher People of Baltimore
county, the entering wedge has been driven into
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