The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-04-11
Teachers Are Going Out of the
Business.
There Is a Scarcity in Shawnee
County.
STANDARD is RAISED.
Superintendent Wright FavOrs
increase in Salary Also.
Many Pupils Take Examina.
tions for School Diplomas.

Shawnee county is threatened with
shortage of teachers. The indica-
lions are that there viii be 80 to 40
vacancies in the teaching force of the
country schools.
TO secure teachers to take these
places superintendent Wright will
make a special effort to secure appli-
cants, and will try to work UP large
attendance at the county normal in
stitute in hopes of securing new ma
terial from among those who pass the
test.
Teachers have resigned this winter
and now that the country schools
have closed many more teachers have
announced. that they have secured
other positions The reason for the
teachers giving UP the work is that
the pay is from $S5 to $50 month in
the country schools with but six to
eight months of school.
1.-The teachers do not ind positions
in the country schools lucrative said
superintendent Wright. '"They give
up teaching to take positions at the
same pay per month, or an advance.
but which furnishes employment II
months in the year instead of six or
seven months. We are losing our best
teachers. Very few men remain on
the teaching force, and the best wo-
men teachers are fast giving up the
work. They can not afford to teach
for the money they receive during the
year. Many of the women are TAX
ing up stenography and the men are
finding employment in offices. We
need new teachers, and I dare say
that for the next term there will be
so or more vacancies to fill"
An effort was made last year to
have all the country school boards
adopt an eight months term and
this was not accomplished. All the
country schools, except the few
large ones in Topeka township, have
closed for the term and the teachers
are out of employment. These larger
schools which have a longer term and
pay higher salaries have no trouble
in securing competent teachers, but
the teachers who are competent do
not desire the smaller schools with
the shorter terms and smaller pay.
The standing of the Shawnee coun-
ty schools has been raised during the
past two years and now those holding
diplomas from the Shawnee schools
are admitted to the academic depart
ments of the Kansas colleges. For
merly pupils from the Shawnee coun-
ty schools were not admitted to aca-
demic departments on the strength of
the diploma, but algebra was added
to the course and now the school
standard is high
This standing cannot be main
tanned easily on the small salaries
paid by the country boards. At the
examination of pupils from the coun-
try schools who desired diplomas adj
hitting them to academia courses,
held Saturday, 206 pupils took the
examination at the grade room at the
court house. The grades will be given
out by the examining board COM
posed of SuDt Wright, J. F. Eby and
c. NJ. Morrow.
On June the Shawnee county
teachers normal institute will begin
a four weeks session at the high
! school. The instructors will be w. H.
Wright principal of Lincoln school;
/ S z. Wright, county superintendent
II. L. Miller. principal of the Topeka
high school; Mary Monteith, of Clay
school, and a. J. Stout, assistant prin-
cipal of the high school