The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1896-09-10
RETIREMENT FUND.
How the Legislature Pro-
Vided for the Teach
MISS ELIZABETH ALLEN SECRETARY
Will Receive Half Pay After
Twenty Years serYice-The
Rules.

In the last year public interest has
been awakened in the public school teach
ers of New Jersey. Hitherto the public
seemed to know little and care less about
the teachers. The only time hat atten-
ton was paid to that class of people was
when some child imagined tina she had
father or mother to visit the school and
the case is changed. The State Legis-
lature, spurred on by the Committee on
Teachers Pensions of the State Teachers
are many teachers in New Jersey and
teachers who hav a distinct and decided
grievance. This grievance has several
parts, almost all relating to money. The
most important of these was found to pc
pensions. No provision had been made
for New Jersey teachers who became in
capacitated for service. When that state
was reached they were obliged to resign
and starve. In California, Michigan,
Illinois and New York, laws had been
passed providing for the maintenance Of
such disabled teachers, but not until last
March was such a law passed in New
Jersey.
Even now the enactment merely allows
the teachers to provide for themselves q
retirement fund. No money is a%ppropri-
ated by the State, no money is to be given
except by the teachers themselves. Each
teacher wishing to take advantage of the
act notifies the Board of Education that
such is her intention and from that time
the board deducts one per cent. of her
salary each month and sends it to the
treasurer of the fund. When any teacher
who has notified the board and has had
her salary regularly diminished has
taught in the public schools for twenty
years and has become incapacitated for
the duties of a teacher, she may be re-
tired as a teacher and receive an am
nuity from the und equal to one-half
of the average annual salary received
for the last years of service. The sum
upon which this teacher is to live for the
rest Of her life must In no case exceed
$500 or be less than $3.50. Any teacher
who has contributed to the fund for five
years and who then resigns is entitled to
one-half the amount paid in.
Ihe committee on Pensions. Of which
Miss Elizabeth A. Allen. Of Hoboken, is
teachers of New Jersey asking them to
subscribe to the fund. The circulars con-
tain copies, of the act of the Legislature
and several reasons why each and every
teacher should subscribe to the fund.
After saying that the older teachers will
see the advantage OF providing against the
evil day" that may not be far distant.
the committee continues
IN urging our young teachers TO join
the plan we appeal to the gracious sentf-
ment Of philanthropy rather thar to any
selfish motive, confident that the spirit
characteristic Of this ~benevolent age has
no more generous and disinterested ex-
ponents than will be found among the
youthful members of the profession. The
teacher who. for a livelihood, is COM
PEELED to impose his or her services upon
a sympathetic community after debilitated
health or the indrmities of advanced age
render those services inefficient, suffers a
bitter and undeserved humiliation. Let
us help to provide a comfortable and
honorable retirement for such faithful
onesi That a system of annuities will
attract and hold a higher grade Of talent
to the profession is a view with which
many prominent educators concur. Talent
adorns a profession and commands better
pay. Teachers relieved of anxiety for
the future can give themselves more en-
Enthusiastically to their work-insuring to
the public better teaching. to the teach
ers better pay. The dignity of the pro
fession is involved; It degrades the po-
sition and influence of all teachers when
veterans of the service become ndigen
dependents upon c~harity-even the charity
of friends
It is proposed to institute a system of
fairs and entertainments throughout the
State. In each school a teacher has been
appointed to interest her fellow workers
IN the plan and to secure their co-opera-
ton.