Omaha daily bee., 1906-11-19
IOWA SHORT OS TEACHERS
From All POrtionS Of the State the Game
Complaint is Heard.
SPECIAL EXAMINATIONS HELP sCME
Scramble for the Choice Committee
Assignments In the Legislative
session Has Already
Commenced.
lFrom a stan Correspondent.l

DIES MONIES. Nov. l&-(SpeCtal )-Un-
less teachers are found somewhere before
! the beginning Of the winter terms of the
public schools. December there will be
q large number OF schools that will have
TO be closed for want Of teachers. There
has been an increase of IS a month on the
average paid to the women school teachers
Of the state during the past twelve months
but this amount, though considered by edu-
Gators to be large. has not induced enough
teachers to enter or remain in the profess
sion to relieve the demand.
! All over the state Of Iowa special teach
er's examinations are being held in the
hope that more teachers can be secured
In Iowa county special examination was
held last week and twenty took the exam
nation. The county superintendent there
says that if all should pass and be given
certificates, which would be an unheard
of occurrence that county would stiI be
about dozen teachers short for the winter
term soon to open.
At Council Bluffs the supply of teachers
is so short that the Board OF Education
Is advertising in the newspapers of that
and other cities for teachers. Council
Bluffs pays $50 a month for experienced
teachers to begin with, with an increase Of
s. a month each year till a maximum OF
$40 month is reached.
Prominent educators Of the state say
that there are but two ways in which to
meet the demand for teachers and both
must be resorted to. Two thousand country
schools of the state must be closed and
the children transported TO adjoining
schools and the school boards must pay
higher salaries. Salaries now paid in the
grade SCHOOLS of the state and the salaries
of the city schools must all be raised The
average salaries paid 10 the women school
teachers of Iowa now is 1890 a month,
while the school year runs from seven to
nine months out OF the twelve. While no
sudden or abrupt increase is looked for.
educators are saying that Iowa rural
schools must eventually pay as high as
5000 a year before the supply Of teachers
will permanently meet the demand and
teachers will remain in the profession.
On the other hand. it is claimed that
there are at least 1000 rural schools in the
state that are kept open largely because
OF local pride and not because the number
Of pupils demands it. The law enacted
at the last session of the legislature allows
the greatest elasticity as to the consolida-
ton of schools. The consolidation can be
temporary or permanent to suit the people
OF the districts Directors of one district
can make temporary arrangements with the
directors Of an adjoining district and hire
men and teams to transport the children
of the district to the adjoining district
The arrangement can be made permanently
\ or temporarily and county and township
lines are no barrier to the arrangements.
However because of local pride in the
j school, it is, asserted that many districts
are being kept open when there are but
few pupils IN the district to attend school
Since such an extensive consolidation OF
Z schools as to close 1000 and such an abrupt
increase in wages as to nearly double the
wages in the rural districts are out of the
question, there seems TO be no immediate
sign Of relief from the demand for school
teachers. 3"
Committee shnkeups Coming.
Though the election is but passed and
there is stfl two fulr months before the
! next legislature is called to order. the air
: is becoming thick with politics as to legis-
lative positions and committee chairman
ships. Hon. n. E. Kendall is practically
conceded the position OF speaker Of the
: next house. He has worked for the posi-
ton astutely during the time since the last
session and there are reasons for believ-
ing that he already has a SUFFICIENT number
OF the republicans pledged to give him the
position in the party caucus The demo-
Gratis, following the custom @uf the past
two sessions will not likely name a man
for the empty honor OF speaker. but II
? they do, Hon. Tim Clary from Chickasaw
county, member of the insurance commits
: sion and an able lawyer. is likely TO bc
; named. Senator Warren Garst. lieutenant
i. governor-elect, will preside over the senate
Both men are strong friends of Governor
Cummins and as the presiding oficers ap.
point the committees of the houses over
I which they preside, stiff competition exists
: therefore, for the plums 70 be handed out
by these two men. At the last session
barring a few changes made because OF
I the death of some OF the members OF the
house. the officers throughout were the
= same as at the session before, because OF
the fact that the members Of the house
and senate were the same throughout
There was no scramble, therefore, at the
last session. Al the coming session some
: thing over two-thirds of the members o,
70 the house will be members for the FRS
time and the scramble for the plums is be
j. ginning already In the senate there vii
t be sixteen now faces out Of the member
ship OF nifty though OF these new face,
r. two republicans and two democrats wert
e in the house at the last session. But ever
in the senate there is stiff competition fol
II the places.
j. In the senate at the last session Senator
Hayward was chairman Of the ways and
}, means committee, one Of the big plumr
r He Is secretary Of state elect and the mex
en- the committee IL Senator Crossley o
= Madison county. II must be taken int,
. consideration that at the last session M
n committees were named by Lsutenau
Governor John Herriott Of Guthrie county
a standpatter, and Garst is the opposite
. As a result the next in line OF promotion
A. stands no surety Of being promoted
"A Senator Bewislwa third on the comnlitte
1, and would have made a strong man for th
n position had he not decided to remove froz
10 the state and 50 withdrew his candidac
Is
N