Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1897-03-26
wages of Teachers.
Now York letter.


A circular has been issued by com
mittee of public-school teachers, which Is
aqitating the subject OF higher salaries
for women teachers. showing the com
narrative earnings of teachers and other
EMPLOYEES under the city government.
The committee says.
There are in the city OF New York
400 teachers and 255 principals OF schools;
OF these only 800 are men. The rest
nearly 400 women, are the most poorly
paid employees Of our city government
this in spite Of the fact that they are
educated women.
Under the new law, before she can
teach I'm the public schools, woman
must be 10 years OF age, and graduate
of the Normal College. or an institution
of equal standing. She then enters upon
n year of apprenticeship, at salary OF
SOS: and at the end of this year she is
appointed regular teacher at salary
Of S5G The efevator-boys in the city
buildings receive 5000. 500 and 500.
At the end Of fourteen years Of meri-
torlous service the woman teacher re-
ceives $50. Just $50 more than the street
sweepers and $50 less than the stablemen
IN the Health Department; $50 Tess than
the cleaners i'm the county jail.
The highest salary paid 10 an assist
ant in a girls grammar department IS
81 csc. Just S24 less than the aXeman in
the bureau Of sewers: SHl less than the
skilled laborers in the public parks.
The woman principal IS paid from 800.
to $500. the amount depending upon the
size and kind Of school over which she
has control, and the length Of her SER
vice. the maximum salary being achieved
after twelve years experience as a
teacher and fourteen years experience
as q principal-twenty-si years in all.
Thus. some principals are placed on a
level with the axemen and rodmen in the
Twenty-fourth Ward, at $l,O0O; some on
a level with the messengers I'm the vari-
Gus city departments. whose salaries
range from $1,000 to $i.5o0; while all are
below the rank of police sergeants. the
court stenographers, and many Of the
subordinate clerks i'm the various city
departments. whose salaries range from
5000 upward. The committee says: IAN
impartial observer might suppose that
It would require a high grade of intelli-
gence properly TO care for the training OF
from 200 TO / $50 children. Fully half of
the janitors IN our public schools are
better paid than the women principals
I'm those same schools can ever hope to
be under the present regime. One jani-
tor of a large school receives $.S35."
ITO sum up. there are in our schools
to-day 1,347 teachers, who receive less
than the poorest-paid elevator-boy in the
city service $500; 2.l1S teachers who re-
ceive less than the street-sweepers ($l2O
2A7 who receive less than the stable
men Of the Health Department G7s0). and
not one of the 1900 women teachers re-
ccives as much as the stable foreman
Of the Street-Cleaning Department
81 .2OO. Not one of the women principals
receives as much as is paid to the police
sergeants or the foremen of the hook
and-ladder companies.
Under these circumstances. the teach
ers of the metropolis of America do not
feel that they are asking too much when
they petition the Legislature 10 enact
a law that no teacher shall be paid a
less sum than 500 per year; nor shall any
teacher after ten years experience re-
ceive less than $500. and that the sala-
ries OF the women principals shall be
increased by the addition Of $50 each
year until they shall have reached the
limit OF $3.50
They fee that such action Will not
only be just, but expedient' for the
schools arc at present suffering from
the lack OF teachers. as the salaries are
too low TO attract women competent TO
I'LL the yacancies'