The San Francisco call., 1896-10-08
TEACHERS PAY MAY
Be HELD OUT
The Board Of Education
in an Economical
Mood.
Salaries of Some Employees May
Be Reduced to Head Off
a Deficit.
FUNDS ARE THOUSANDS SHORT
Retrenchments Decided On All Along
the Line to Keep Within the
Appropriation.

The probabilities are that the Board OF
Education will find it necessary before the
close of the present fiscal year to ask the
teachers of the School Department to help
it out by foregoing certain amount OF
their salaries until the funds are in better
condition. 1t is also quite possible that
some of the employees will lose portion
of their salaries entirely, and it is within
the range of possibility that strict econ
omy will necessitate the dismissal OF a
few.
The board held a special session last
evening to discuss ways and means OF
meeting the grave financial situation that
now cOnfronts 1t.
At the last meeting of the board Director
Murdoch offered a resolution calling at
tention to the fact that in order to keep
within the amount allowed the depart
ment by the Board of Supervisors ex-
penses must be cut or deficit faced IN or
der to tide over the year, and it was then
decided to discuss the matter in special
session.
The 81, 100000 allowed the department
last year was sufficient to pay all expenses
and leave q surplus, and on the siren 9Th
OF this the Supervisors fixed the school
appropriation for this year at like
am cunt for general purposes in spite OF
the fact that 81 $50, 600 was asked for. The
5000, 900 appropriated for the Mission High
School building can be used for no other
purpose.
Now the board finds that with the heavy
contracts it has already made for altera-
tions and improven ents ON school build
ings it will be many thousands short
before the end of the year and the problem
is to find way out of the difficulty.
When the meeting was called to order
last evening Director MurGock called at
tention to the fact that unless expenses
were curtailed in some manner deficit
was sure to show itself before the close of
the year. He suggested, during the course
of his remarks, that there were certain
employees whose salaries had recently
been raised, and that, as their previous
paw had been sufficient, these might prop
erly be reduced to their former figure as a
starter.
Another membe suggested that. as on
former occasions, teachersi had consented
to allow portion of their salaries to hold
over until the funds warranted full
amount being paid. this course might be
followed again.
Director Murdock said that the most
important matters to be discussed were:
1. What action can be taken by the board to
restrict the miscellaneous expenditures to the
lowest possible sum consistent with the wants
of the schools and to restrict committees to
purchases or expenditures approved or au-
thorized by majority of the board.
2. To what extent the expenditures for
special teachers can be reduced without Sc
rious disadvantage to the schools.
3. What consolidation of classes can be ju-
diciously made.
a. Is it advisable to increase the number Of
pupils in any of the classes?
5. Whether the salaries OF janitors may be
reduced without I'M tice.
6. Whether the inevitable deficit, should
the schools be continued tor the year, shall be
met by reduction OF the salary schedule or
by Withholding portion of The vacation sal
ary.
z. If by a reduction of salaries, to submit a
schedule that by rigid economy in other di-
rections may enable us to continue the schools
for the year within the appropriation.
Directors Clinton and Carew were op.