The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-03-13
TEACHERS VIGOROUSLY OPPOSE
THE PROPOSED REDUCTION
OF SALARIES
UNLESS ALL CITY EMPLOYEES SHARE
In the Proposed Reform Measure
Little Roadway Made at the
Conference.

lOI' bryant, cualr1nans Supt. GURUS,
Prof. Farnsworth, Mrs. Lennon, Miss
Putnam, Miss Blockman, Miss Deacon,
Mr.. Slock, Miss Brooks and Prof. Bond
Gen. Sanborn presided over the meet
Ing and stated that it was held to OBJ
tain the views of the teachers in re-
gard to the bill now before the leg
islature to increase the tax levy in St.
Paul He said that it was the senti-
ment of the chamber that the bill
should be done away with, providing
that by so doing the efficiency of the
public schools would not be impaired.
Prof. Bryant, as chairman of the
teachers committee, said that the asso-
citation had held a meeting and had
prepared a statement which he would
submit and which was as follows:
Financial statement concerning st. Pauls
public schools:
One-haIf mill city tax already absorbed nv
| council for new buildings.
IWo-m1ll city tax on 500, 900 000 .... 1886 900
One-m1ll local tax on 1893 900, 900 ..... 81, 900
state apportlonment NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.. $4,000
General Expenses
FUEL Janitors, mechanics. supplies,
etc. .................... go. .... S119 900
Balance for teachers salaries w $23S, 600
For Next Year
Five hundred and twenty-five teachers
at $37 per calendar month ......... $23S 900
Present Year
Five hundred and twenty-five teachers
at $o65 per calendar month. ......... 1854 900
Reduction of 80 per cent on teachers
salaries 80: NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. lis, 900
PRESENT years expenses .............. ASS, 900
AValiaole for next year ............... 337, 900
oHof Idee ........- Observation-Disclosures. 101, 900
AOd estimated cost OF free text books. 20 900
Total shortage ...................$1 21. 900
TO make up this shortage out of the present
available funds, one of the following methods
can be adopted ii so desired:
l. Cut teachers salaries SO per cent; or
Z. Gut OH the classes above B vi. and be-
low l.; or
3. Run the schools about two-thirds of tho
school year.
The teachers would suffer alike in the
nrst and third propositions. but all could re-
main. In the second proposition a very
missed.
Prof. Bryant said further that in
his opinion, if the present bill before
the legislature was defeated, it would
SO seriously impair the schools that
they would never recover.
After Prof. Bryant had concluded
the meeting resolved into a sort of
question bee. with Col. CIough on one
side and Prof. Bryant on the other.
Col. Clough said that it was the pur-
pose OF the committee, first, to ascer-
tain what amount of money the peo-
pie could raise, and then the best man
her IN which to expend it, 1t deVel-
Opec that the large increase in the
schools in recent years was due TO
the fact that before the eSta bIishment
OF the k1ndergartens the age Of admit
lance mad been six years, but was now
nVe, and also that during the present
depressed times many children who had
before attended private schools were
now enrolled on the books of the pub
lie institutions. The average daily at
tendance during this year has been
1880, while the enrolment is more
than 20 600.
Prof. Curtis stated that, while on
an average about 1000 of the enrolled
pupils were, not in attendance, pro-
vision must be made for them Just the
same and the work of the teachers
was augmented rather than decreased
by the absentees. 1t was asked wheth-
er redistribution of the pupils would
not materially help matters, but it was
decided that.eVen If the pupils attend
ing the outlying schools We're able
to get to the central schools they are
IN such a crowded condition now that
they could not be accommodated. In
many of the. outlying schools there
pupils in a building, and the expense
in carrying on these schools is nearly
twice the average per pupil in the CEN
ter of the city, for the buildings must
be heated and a janitOr hired. But.
Prof. Curtis said, this state of affairs
can only be helped by doing away with
those schools entirely.
The question of cutting the salaries
of the teachers was then taken up,
and Prof. Bryant caused an avalanche
of questions to be thrown at him by
stating that, in his opinion, salaries
had already been cut more than 80
per cent. Col Clough presented a
statement which had been prepared by
Secretary Healy, of the school board.
in which he stated that the cut since
1892 had been but AS per cent. This
conclusion was arrived at by dividing
the total amount paid the teachers in
1892 and 1897 by the number employed
during those years. Prof. Bryant con-
tended that this was not a correSt Solu-
ton of the problem, for a teacher was
supposed to advance in salary as she
advanced in experience, the same as
in any other business, but that in ST.
Paul, in the great majority of cases,
they were now receiving less salary
than when first employed. When asked
TO present actual case Of cuts in salar-
les, Prof Bryant gave the following
list as a few of the many:
Prof Bond cut from $500 to s., 600.
Prof. Herman cut from 81 500 to 5000.
All principals cut from s.. 900 to ST. 600.
Superintendent Of drawing cut from So 900
to $1,000.
Col Clough then presented another
| portion Of the statement prepared by
Mr. Healy to the effect that in 1892
! the average salary paid to each OF
| the 1856 grammar grade teachers was
| $685. while in 1897 it was $613. Prof
| Bryant answered this by saying that
| these teachers should have received
! promotion in salary as they advanced
| in experience. He acknowledged that
| in actual money spent the teachers II
| that particular grade had not been
| cut, but that the few had to suffer
| for the many, and. also stated that II
| was impossible to measure the intel
| lectual value of a teacher in dollars
and cents. 1t was shown that in the
! high school the average salary had
| decreased from 1928 to s1,113.
Col. Clough said that so far as could
| be aseertained from the records mos;
| Of the teachers were receiving the same
! salary today as they received five years
| ago.
| N. P. Langford stated that, in his
| opinion, the two committees were talk
! ing at cross purposes. He said they
| should have some common starting
| point. 1t was evidently the opinion
| of the teachers that the money needed
can be raised, while the opinion of the
| chamber was exactly the reverse. He
| did not doubt but what the tax might
| he levied but IL would not ho maid