The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1900-04-05
TEACHERS PAY.
SuperintendentSny yder Shows
the Increase New Law
Will Make.
HILL AVERAGE lS,486 PER INEUH
Director Hulshizer Says
the Bill Is a Good
One.
WILL AVERAGE ls,4S5 PER ANEUH


ion of the Teachers Salary Bill. He
said
Il regard House Bill No. 15s commonly
known as the reachers' Salary Bill, as
a good one for the purpose for which it
was drawn. 1t aims to make a teacher
salary commensurate with her experience
from the standpoint Of service lhe
teachers in this city, generally speaking
are underpaid. This bill will correct many
inequalities which now exist. peheve
the public by a majority vote Will de-
clare in favor of the bill. am in favor
of it and the only hesitancy l have II
any. is the increased taxation it will bring
upon this city,
AT a meeting of the Board of Finance
held yesterday this communication was
received from Superintendent of Scnoois
Henry Snyder
Jersey City, N. J., April 4, 1900.
To the Honorable President and Mem
bers of the Board of Finance:-
Gentlemen-In reply to your cornmunl-
cation of March 80, in which you re-
Quest ssthe Superintendent of Schools
to furnish a statement of the est1-
mated additional cost to the city for
teachers salaries for each of the next
five succeeding years, in accordance with
the recent act of the Legislature. re-
specting teachers salaries" have the
honor to sumbit the following reply
An estimate of the amount to be paid
the teachers during the next five years
involves a number of problems which it
is impossible to solve accurately. In at
tempting to make such an estimate we
must consider the number of teachers and
the probable changes which may occur
among them, and must note carefully not
only the operation and results OF the
schedules contained in the Murphy act
to which your communication refers, but
also the manner in which the change
from the schedules now in force to the
schedules of the Murphy act is made and
the resultant effect upon the account of
teachers salaries.
To all of these elements I have given
the most careful study. The first may be
dismissed with the statement that. as the
number of teachers can be increased only
by the creation of new buildings, and as
the number and size of those to be erect
ed during the next five years. are at pres
ent unknown, any estimate of the amount
of teachers salaries must be based upon
the assumption that the number of
teachers will remain the same during the
time for which the estimate is made.
It is not so easy to dispose of the prob
able changes which may occur among the
teachers by reason of designations. OF
course we have no means of knowing
what changes will occur 1t may be
thought entirely safe to base an esti-
mate of future changes upon past exper-
ience. but the changes during past years
have not been uniform. On the other
hand, they present some unaccountable
variations. So that any anticipations
based upon them may not be realized.
And yet we are forced to assume a re-
petition in the future of changes similar
in number and kind to those of the past.
1t is only on this assumption that any
estimate of the salary account is possi-
Bile During the past five years 124
changes have been caused by resignation
or death. AT the beginning of this
period there were 46S teachers, while
at the present there are SIT, the
average number of teachers being 522
Inasmuch as the number of teachers
will not be decreased. it is, therefore, fair
to assume that at least the same number
of changes will occur during the next
FIVE years. 1t should be noted that the
Sc1eOuieS OIL IedcHeIS SdidAleS UdSeQ up
on length of service have been in force
for about fifteen years, and that the in
crease in the total salary account from
yaer to year has not been due to the pro-
motion of teachers in salary by reason of
increased length of service, but to the
opening of new schools. While some
teachers were promoted in salary, others
resigned. The places of the latter were
OF ao col.
cries The increase due to promotions
was. therefore, balanced by the decrease
due to the appointment of teachers at
the lowest salaries The Murphy Act
provides schedules consisting of salaries
also graded according to length of ser
vice. If the Murphy Act is put into oper-
alton changes similar to those observed
under the. present schedules will be made.
Salaries will be increased with length
of service and decreased as designations
occur. Although the salaries paid to the
more experienced teachers are higher
than at present, the salary of beginners
is practically the same. 1t is therefore
apparent that while the increase in teach
ers' salaries by promotions viii be great
er. when changes occur the consequent
decrease in the salary account will also be
greater than at present 1t is obvious
that il the same teachers remained in
service, without change, the increase in
the salary account would be very great
under any schedule. But this condition
cannot possibly exist. IT is certain that
changes will occur which in all probable
ity will exceed in number those of the last
five years. But in order that our esti-
mate may be a conservative one it will
be sufficient to assume that their num-
ber will be about the same and that they
viii operate in about the same way as in
the past five years.
The character of the schedules of the
Murphy Act has been referred to- The
act does not provide for the immediate
payment of the salaries therein mention
ed. but requires that to the salaries now
paid an annual increment be added until
the salaries are in accordance with the
schedules of the act. II will therefore be