Bismarck daily tribune., 1903-12-11
SCARCITY OF TEACHERS.
State Supt. StockWeli Thinks . Prop
er Advance In Wages Would Prove


er Advance in Wages Would Prove
a Remedy.
In a recent letter to Editor Falken-
stein of the Bottineau News in res
pect to the scarcity of teachers and
the new certifcation law, State. Supt.
Stockwell says:
This is a matter which frequently
comes up, and one which, of neces-
sity, causes good deal of discussion.
am convinced that, while undoubt-
edly the present method of certifica-
ton does weed out a certain num-
ber Of the poorest teachers, so far as
their qualificatio ms judged from the
examinations are concerned. vet, !
know from experience of other states
where they still have the old method
of examinations by the county sup
erintendents that this same scarcity
of teachers exists. The scarcity Of
teachers is question which affects,
not only North Dakota, but all states
in the northwest. Minnesota, Wis
consin, Iowa, Nebraska and South Da-
kota are troubled in the same way.
Minnesota has the state certification
plan. Wisconsin, Iowa and, think.
Nebraska, have the county certifica-
tion plan, and in each the scarcity Of
teachers is very marked; so l am
constrained to believe the scarcity of
teachers is not cue to the method of
certificatiOn so much as to the fact
that young people can secure better
compensation in other lines of work.
1t is hardly to be expected that young
women will continue to teach school
with wages averaging about $40 a
month and the average term about
seven months, when the same young
people can secure the same wages per
month for twelve months in the year.
There IS no doubt that should the
present era Of prosperity pass away
many of those who have left the
teaching profession to enter other
lines of work. would return to it.
The state during this past year has
given to the various school districts
the sum Of $274175.50 from the state
tuition fund. The law says that this
money shall be used solely for teach
ers' wages. A conservative estimate
Of the number of teachers who are en-
gagged in the work in the state is 1000;
this means that each teacher entitled
in round numbers to $685. with an av-
erage term Of seven months in the
wear, 1t means practically $40 a
month for each teacher consequently
it seems to me that each district
ought to be able to add that $40 to
| the salary Of each teacher. This
s274,175 so of which speak, does
not include the two-mill tax which
| is leNltu Ill SdCu COuuty, anu W ulCL
is distributed among the school dis
tricts Of each county. 1t simply in
cludes tie money arising from the in
terest and income from the schoo
| funds, and fines and taxes. l hai
nothing to do with the making of the
present law; It may have it's defects
yet I am certain that no one can really
desire to return to the old method O
certification. / might say in closing
that the results of the last examina
tion are just out. and from $50 appli
cations we have granted certificate
to SIG; the failures being about @
per cent. This showing when com
pared with Minnesota's showing at 1t
last examination, wherein over 50 pc
cent of their applicants failed show
ing that we are not exceedingly rig
i'd though we mean to be absolutel,
fair in our marking.