The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-05-02
THEIR WORK and PAY
ARE GRADE TEACHERS ALL EN-
TITLED TO THE SAME CON-
SIDERATION9
INTERESTING TALK ABOUT IT

supt. Smith Secures Opinions From
Teachers on the Question of Uni
form Maximum saIaries-Other
Subjects of Interest to the
Teaching STAFF Discussed at q
PrinciDals' Meeting.
Supt. Smith held a conference with the
principals of the city schools yesterday
afternoon in the Central High school
building relative to the course of study
to be adopted next year and a number
Of other matters involving the welfare
of the teachers, which will come up for
consideration at the meeting of the board
tomorrow. Supt Smith stated that it was
his desire that the schools be run right
up to the day Of closing, with a full pro-
gramme. 1t frequently happened that
some teachers completed the prescribed
course a week or ten days before the
others and then had nothing to keep the
class busy for that period. To secure
more uniformity in this respect a COM
mittee consisting of Prof. Eaton, Prof
Sfyke, Miss McGroety, Miss Cummings
and Mrs. Deacon for the graded schools,
and Prof. Weitbrecht and Prof. Bryant
for the high schools, were appointed to
work with this end In view
Supt. Smith stated that he had sent com
munications to all the principals in the
city asking for their opinion on a number
of questions, so that he might know their
views before submitting final report to
the board of education. Regarding the
uniform maximum salary question, he
had received several replies from nearly
all the principals. Sixteen favored the
uniform schedule for all the grades and
one was opposed. The other principals ia
vored it in part, with one or two excep-
tons One thought all the grade teachers
should receive the same salary, prospect
i've Of grades, with the exception of the
seventh and eighth grades; another
excepted the first primary; another the
fourth and fifth grades.
Supt. Smith said he was opposed to CIV
ing any grade teacher less than $50 per
month, however impossible it might be
for the st. Paul board to make this limit
with the funds at its disposal He did not
know whether there would be an increase
in the schedule this year or not He
hoped so. There was. he said, surely no
more work for the eighth grade teacher
than for those in the lower grades If
any discrimination was to be made, he
would be inclined to favor the fourth and
sixth grades as the ones requiring the
greatest effort on the part of the teacher
II there was any way of singing out a
teacher whose work was Of an especially
high character and giving her a higher
figure than the rest, there would be no
need of a graduated scale, but there was
not such a system. The teachers were
all recognized alike by the board, and 1t
was only question whether there is
any difference in the grades" Supt
Smith took the view of the majority of
the principals and will probably recon-
mend In his report to the board
that uniform maximum schedule be
adopted for next year.
Regarding the other matters upon
which information was sought he stated
majority of the principals were opposed
to having the visiting day abolished
AS to the course of study the replies
had not been as satisfactory as he would
have liked although there was no dispo-
sition on his part, he said, to crIticise, as
the questions were merely asked to Sc.
cure the opinion of the principals. In
history the replies indicated that the