The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1900-12-01
SALARY BILL.
Director Egbert Explains It's
Effect on Teachers
Pay.
Why SOME HAVE NO INCREASE
The Board of Education De-
sires to Give Good
Wages.


Eghert, Chairman of the Committee on
Teachers and Salaries of the Board of
Education, makes the following statement
concernfng the recent increase in the
salaries Of teachers:-
For many years it was the common be-
ile1 lnat the salaries of our teachers were
| too low. 1t was therefore with great
pleasure that when the bill providing for
increasing the teachers salaries was pre-
pared last winter, all the members of the
lBoard OF Education supported it enthus.-
astlcally, and it gave them still more
pleasure to put the law in operation at
their last meeting. A substantial increase
| Of about $4,000 was distributed among the
| teacners-an increase which belongs to
TINS hscal year only, and must be supple
mented by further additions in the years
| to come.
When the bill was before the Legis-
lature, the members of the Board recog-
nized that although it provided eventually
| Tor considerable increase, nevertheless
the immediate increase would be COM
parauvely small. especially in the case of
! certain classes of teachers. But inasmuch
as there was strong opposition to be over
come, the Board deemed it best to be con-
| tent with what could be secured
Two classes of teachers are mentioned
| IN tue bill, those hereafter appointed and
those employed at the time of the passage
OF thesact, virtually the present body of
the lowest salary, determined by years of
i experience and success, which the city is
allowed to pay. The immediate change
from the salaries already being paid 10
those of the new law would have caused
an increase of about s140,000 and therefore
| was impossible. Hence the first proviso
approach to the new schedule, and it was
| provided that to the salary which a
teacher was receiving at the time the law
was enacted, viz, March %, 19oO there
should be added annually an increase until
| the salary equalled the amount specified.
| namely, the lowest salary the city is al
lowed to pay after certain number of
years of experience
Although the act has been frequently
! discussed its provisions have been misun-
! derstood even by many teachers This
Misunderstanding is due to the failure to
| recognize the fact that by the terms of
| the act those who completed their years
| OF experience in the period running from
| March ~ to December l should go back
| service at that date. Thus two principals
! did not receive an increase because, on
/ March 3d. they had not served long
enough, ia although they have since com
j teachers whose salary at the time of the
| passage of the act was $4o0, but who had
not at that time served two years, could
only receive $zoS for the bill reads, Less
| than two years experience, $408 per an
num- "a few teachers who completed
terms Of five and twelve years experience
ttbetween March % and December /, whose
SALARIES had been increased according to
the old schedule, by the terms of the new
bill would receive less than the sum to
i which they had been promoted. Thus
| teachers receiving $52S on March % should
| by the terms of the new law receive $576,
although between March % and Decem-
Der l, by the terms of the old schedule,
| their salaries had been increased to S624
In these cases the Board maintained the
salaries rather than have these teachers
| suffer an actual loss, and in doing this,
| has done more than the law requires. 1t
| Is evident that in these cases mentioned,
| the benefits of the law cannot be felt at
! once. Such a condition was unavoidable,
| inasmuch as when the act was introduced
ditional cost of the increase below the
amount fixed by the city officials as the
limit
ssThe Committee on Teachers has care
1 proviso mentioned, applied 1t to each
| teachers salary, and has in accordance
with. the requirements Of the. law de-
termined the salary to be paid to each
teacher. The Board of Education has
not only provided for increasing salaries
as much as the law permits. but has,
also in every case, prevented the teach
| ers from suffering injury by the opera
/ tion of the law.
''It is worthy of special notice that the
| estimates made last June, when appro-
priations were asked for from the Board
| of Finance, and even previous to that
| time, are now found to be correct. No
error has been made, and the appropria-
tion made by the Board of Finance in
| response to the requests of the Board of
| Education, is ample for carrying out the
law. The salaries have therefore been
fixed exactly in accordance with the in
tention and letter of the law and with
the estimates made last spring.
/ "Attention should be called to the fact
that the salaries scecified in the laws
are based not only on length of service,
| but also upon the success of the teacher,
and that both the length of experience
and the success must be properly certi-
fled to. This requirement of the law has
been adhered to rig.dly. Last May the
Board of Education adopted rules in
conformity with the act. These rules
require that the certification be made by
the local director. by the principal, and
by the superintendent, except in the cases
oertification by the local director and
! superintendent is require In all the pro-
motions made at che last meeting. of the
Board certiffcation has been made, and
in no case has proper certifcation been
withheld from any teacher who de-
served it.
upon the supposed financial status of the
city, and was very peculiar. Teachers
served two years for $500 per year, the
next three years for os psr yea the
schedule was illogical and even absurd
The schedules of the new law are more
reasonable, and after two years service
provide for an annual increase for the
| next ten years. 1t must be expected that,
in passing gradually from the old sched-
b
ent inconsistencies will frequently pre-
sent themselves. For some time teach
ers with widely different periods of SER
i vice will receive the same salary. The
schedules iof the new law will not be in
full operation until seven years have
elapsed In no case will the inconsist-
| encies be as glaring in the future as they
have been in the past, and as additional
appropriations are made each year, dis
/ crepancieS will disappear.
"Attention should also be called to the
\ fact that although the Board of Educa-
/ ton, by its economy, has been able to
make promotions of teachers Immediately
! at the close of the specfied term of SER
4 vice. according to the new law these pro-
4 motions will be made only annually.
Thus If a teacher completes her fifth
j year of service in May She will rot be
promoted in June, as has been the Gus
i tom in the past two years, but on the
following December /, the beginning of
the new fiscal year. The law requires
that a sum sufficient for this annual in
i crease be placed in the budget, but does
not require it for parts of a year
THE Beard of Education is anxious to
give the teachers the best salaries at
/ tainable, and will watch the question of
the law. keeping in mind the interests OF
deserving teachers. As the law does not
4 prevent the Board from increasing the
i salaries specified in the law, the teachers
sI may feel confident that, when such ac-
4 tion is Justified and opportunities arise.
Esuch adjustments viii be made. as the
4 law and the funds in control Of the
Board permit.
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