The Jersey City news., 1891-12-04
PRESIDENT VOORHEES, DENIES.

PRESIDENT VOORHEES, DENIES.
| Claims the Financiers Only Gave the
/ Directors $3, 5s4.29 Over State
/ Allowance.
To the Edi or of the ..erseg Gin Neus:-
DEAR SIg:-I am very loath TO write a
letter for publication, but as so much
space has been given to the remarks OF
! Mr. Kenny, at the meeting of the Board
/ of Finance on Tuesday evening, trust
you VIII afford me the space to correct
| The missta ements in connection with
! the criticisms of the action of the Board
! OF Education in fixing the schedule of
teach ers' salaries Tor the current fiscal
| year.
The charge of Mr.. Kenny is in sub
| stance, that the Boar,i of Fiuance last
| summer increased the appropriation for
| the Board of Education $l1,000 over that
| of last year, with the distinct understand
| ing that So 600 of tnis increase was to pay
| the salaries of additional teachers. and
that the remaining $1,000 was TO be used
| to increase the salaries of the low grade
teachers, aud that the Board of Edu:a-
! tion did not act in good faith"
| desire to deny all of these statements
| most emphalicaily. The appropriation
| made by the b ard OF Finance for the
! item of teachers salaries and fuel was
| $273 600 or this sum $269. AIS Il was sup
| piled by the State for Tins specific pur-
| pose and could be applied to no other use
| tnan the payment for salaries and fuel, SO
| that ali the money the Board of Finance
really appropriated for salaries and fuel,
and which came out OF the city treasury,
WAS So. 5S4.29
For Il number of years not one dollar
beyond the State appropriation has been
granted the Board of Education for
teachers salaries and fuel. but this year,
bv reason OF additions being made to
school buildings and new class rooms
that had heen arranged in some or the
old buildings for tho accomm >dation OF
pupils clamoIng for admission TO the
schools, informed several members or
the Board of Fnance-President Elel-
stein aud Mr.. Kenny included-th the
State fund wouli have to be largely sup
plemented, or salaries, which were
already low enough, would have to be re-
duced, but when the aDportionment was
made. the amount askedsfor was not
granted.
In fixing the teachers salaries for the
next fiscal year, not one OF the schedules
of last year was raised, altered or
amended. The salary schedule last year
was as follows:-Teachers having IL years
or more experience, 1924; teachers having
years, aud under IL years experience,
1928; teachers having Q YEAR,, and under
years experience, $40S; teachers having
less than 2 years experience. $3.50.
adopted by unanimous vote by the Board
of Education, as the salaries for the cur
rent year, aud not a single change has
been made in any class of salaries that
prevailed at the close of the last fiscal
year, with the exception of increasing the
in recognition of his forty years Of ser
vice. The members of the Board of e iu-
cauion would gladly have increased
the salaries of the so-called low grade
teachers, and indeed discussed several
plans looking to that end, but the INSULT
cient appropriation would not permit OF
it without u reduction in the salary of
some other grade. Some of the membe
of the School Board expressed to the
members of tle Finance Board, not only
willingness. but desire to increase the
salaries OF the low grade teachers, II suf.
ficient funds were provided, but the nee.
essary money was not at our disposal and
it was never contemplated to build up
the salaries Of one grade by pulling down
those of another
BY reason Of the greater number of
teachers now employed, the entire appro-
priation tor the current fiscal year. not
withstanding it's somewhat greater
amount will be entirely consumed on the
basis OF last years schedule of salaries
The present system of grading put Into
operation seven years ago, has sometf mes
been criticised, and perhaps there are OBJ
jectons to it, as there IRE to every plan,
but they are more than offset by the
many advantages. 1t permits us TO pay
a reasonable salary to a teacher who has
served the department long and faith
fully, 1t prevents neighboring cities from
drawing from our schools, efficient and
experienced teachers. and apove all, it
stops unjust and unwise promotions, by
reason of favoritism or influence, and it
was largely to meet this last named con-
ditiou that the rule was introduced.
number of teachers VINO, according TO the
rules, nave served the requisite number
of wears, have been placed in the class to
which tIeir term OF service entitled them.
but this is in no sense raising of salary
schedules.
shall pass by the reported somewhat
Incorporate utterances of Mr.. Kenny,
except to say that they are unjust and un-
called for, but | beg to say that con-
slider the fixing of salaries of its tea, hing
corps Is entirely within the province of
the Board of Education. and to remind
the generally amiable gentlemen, that
the Board OF Finance is an appropriating.
but not disbursing board. The Board
of Education feels that the Finance
Board have always treated them with
reasonable liheralIty. considering the
many demands for the funds 1t is their
duty to apportion, still the fact remains
that Jersey City aDpropriates less for edu.
cational purposes, than any city of its
size in the United States.
Pardon me for so far trespassing on
your space; perhaps / have been verbose.
NV only excuse is, that my name was so
frequently used by Mr.. Kenny, that felt
my side of the controversy should in JUS
tice be heari.
Very respectfully.
JOHN i. VOORHEES,
President Board of Education.