The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1904-10-15
Governor Pardee Is Not Salts
fled With Manner in Which
the Money Is Distributed
OPPOSES PROPOSED TAX
Executive Plainly Expresses
His Views in Letter Read
to Teachers at Woodland
Special Dispatch. to The CAN.

WOODLAND, Oct. IA letter writ
ten by Governor Pardee to DR.. j. c.
Thompson Of Alameda, former presi-
dent of the Northern California Teach
ers' Association, in which the distribu-
ton of the State school funds to the
various counties was discussed at
length and unfavorably commented
upon by the Governor, was read by DR..
Thompson at the ninth annual session
of the association, held here last Thurs
day. The letter, which contains much
that is important to the teachers of the
State, is as follows:
SACRAMENTO, October TO- 1904.
George c. Thompson 1888 Clinton avenue,
Alameda Cal-Dear Sir: Since / have found
it impracticable, on account of other engage
ments. TO attend the Teachers Institute at
Woodland on the 18th. it has occurred to me
that perhaps il might be of some interest TO
the ladies and gentlemen present at your
meeting TO listen to some comments on the
matter OF the distribution OF state schooi
money. If so, the following is entirely at
your disposal:
California, as you know. levied last year a
tax upon all property in the State of a little
over Il cents per hundred dollars of assessed
valuation in order to comply with the law.
which provides that there shall be raised, for
every school census child, the sum of 81
We all feel that the present salaries paid
schGolteachers in this State, more especially
induce men and women to take up teaching
as a lifework and make profession of 1t,
wants. OF course. the best teachers she can
get; and in order TO increase the salaries
Of our teachers and enable us to get and keep
good ones II has been proposed TO raise the
TO So
Before discussing this proposal let US see
something about the present situation. Last
perfntendent of Public instruction Hon T !
tat Al iSPi fOr he gran m II
and primary public schools. the very respect
able sum Of S355eS64 Is. There were EN-
poyed In the public schools land by public
schools l mean always primary and gram
mar grades) 1871 teachers Now, If the State
school money had been equally divided
among this number of teachers each of them
be exact s45e 80 of the State money
But a matter of fact many, very many,
Of our teachers did not receive any scuh part
OF the State school money toward the payment
Of his or her salary. The amount they
ceived varied between the $24S (the lowest,
the Alpine County teachers received) to the
s7S3 dhe highest), received by the San Fran
YOU ana whatever greater sum the Alpine
teachers We're each paid. over and above the
the county-and with this county money we
have, at this time nothing 10 do.
Let US take some concrete examples Of
what State aid per teacher in the northern
counties of this State, in the school year end
ing June 30 1904, amounted to: Alameda,
sS5s Alpine s24s AmadoE sass Butte $50
s466 Del Ncrte. s354; Fl Dorado, Sos; Fresno.
$4o2; Glenn. s271; Humboldt, $42s; Inyo, $275;
poss 1910; Mendocino. 1923; Modoc, $500;
Mono. 1851: Monterey, 1892; Napa, $416 Ne
yada. s45I Placer, $3.50; Plumas. s2ss; Sac
Benito. s275; San Joaquin. s433; San Mateo
s453; santa Clara. $500: Santa Cruz, s44s
oano, szs sonos s2a st hsRisH ssS
Suffer 1901; Tehama, $3.50; Trinity. s305:
Tuolumne $423; Yoo, 1881; Yuba. SAB
These I said fha
northern counties of this state. and the figures
quoted are computed from the figures in State
equalities occur in the southern counties.
TT The Ms figures given establish. I think: the
distributed to the teachers Of the state.
1t is proposed TO increase the State census
child per capita from 81 to 50, in order TO
I raise enough State money to pay our teachers
larger salaries
Let US see what this proposed increase would
DO for the he teachers in the counties quoted
from So. $50 to 500: Alpine. s24s to $500; ANA
veras' sS71 to S44S: colusa' $40 to $40 Con-
( ira Costa 1896 TO $3.50: Del Norte 1854 to
s42s; Ell Dorado SECS to 1922. Fresno s4O2 to
Lassen. 1928 to ss55; Marin. s4T5 to s5s4
$3.50: Modoc 1892 to s4$i: Mono, 1857 to s4s2;
Monterey. 1882 to S462; Napa S416 to $500;
Nevada. : :a. to sS4s: Placer $3.50 TO s457
Plumas. S2SS to S345; Sacramento, 1911 to
S449; San Francisco. $7S3 to S97s; San Benito
S275 to 1892; San Joaquin. $433 TO S526; San
Mateo, S453 to $3.50; Santa Clara $500 to S615:
Sierra. s314 to S31s; siskiyou. $3.50 to 1896
Solano S433 TO $500; Sonoma $429 to 1921
Tehama 1899 to S40s: Trinity S3O5 to 1896
Tuolumne 1923 to $685. Yolo, 1881 to $500
Yuba S413 to $500.
From these figures it will be seen that
under the present system of distribution, with
81 State census-child per capita the State
pays anywhere from SPAS. as in Alpine per
teacher per annum to $7s3 in San Fran
cisco-a difference of $535 against Anime.
less. but still great. against teachers in other
counties. But II the State per CAPITA be in
/ creased from 81 TO 50. the difference between
the two extremes. San Francisco and Alpine
will be still greater, viz. the difference be-
tween $97s. San Francisco and $780, Alpine
or $67s, while the difference under the pres
ent 81 State ger capita is. shown above
an increase in the per capita from 81 to So
And. Of course. every other county would suf-
fer, by comparison, by the same percentage II
is true that every teacher would get more
money but some teachers. especially in the
rich and thckly settled counties would get
a much greater raise in their salaries, com
puted in dollars. than others, especially those
in the poorer and sparsely settled counties
Therefore. il is apparent that If the pro-
posed increase OF 81 per census-child be
distributed by the present system the conse-
equal and inequitabe in its effect For this
reason. think an increase in the State census
child per capita of 50, any other sum is
not the first result to be achieved For n
the present method of distribution of STATE
school money be unjust 10 the teachers land
/ think that il isl. better, more equitable
and more Just method of distribution should
be, my judgment. the first thing to be
worked out. II that be done I think there
will be no complaint; certainly nowhere near
so much there is at present
What do you and your fellow teachers
GEORGE c. PARDEE.