The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1906-12-02
TEACHERS ASK ND.
FOR The PUPILS
Appeal Sent to Mayor and
Supervisors Showing How
Interests Are Threatened
SALARIES Toe SMALL

An appeal by the teachers of the
public schools of the city, through their
counsel, S. V. Costello, has been for
warded TO the Mayor and the Board of
Supervisors. In the communication the
teachers set forth their needs. and also
appeal to the public on behalf of the
school children, whose interests are
| threatened owing to the delay of the
Board of Supervisors and the Board of
Education.
The communication in part is as fol-
lows:
When after the fire of April IS and
succeeding days the budget was un-
der consideration the press reported a
subcommittee of the committee OF
forty as suggesting that the annual
appropriation for the School Depart
nent should be based upon.athe eStf-
mated population of the city as reduced
~ the disaster and that the same
amount should be set aside for this
rurpose as when the city during its
growth had about the same population.
This suggestion was adopted. 1t was
estimated that in 1898 the city had
about its present population, and in
that year the amount issued for the
ordinary expenses of the School De-
partment was $1.27O,000. Accordingly
for this year the sum appropriated was
$1,000. 900
From these uncontroverted facts can
there be any doubt that this allowance
was meant merely to meet the ordinary
current expenses of the schools for the
present fiscal year? 1t certainly never
was intended that this small appropria-
ton should cover not only the ordinary
expenses but in addition the extraor
binary OUTLAWS caused by the great dis
aSter above referred to-
To show that the people of San Fran
cisco intended that the damage caused
by fire, riot, earthquake or public en-
envy" should not be paid out of the or
binary appropriation it is but neces-
sary to read section 3, chapter 5. artf-
Gle vii of the charter, which provides
the approval of the Mayor and Super
visors, incur extraordinary cXpendi-
lures in excess of the annual limit pro-
vided for in this charter for the re-
pairing, construction and furnishing of
schoolhouses in the place of those so
injured and destroyed. The Supervis-
ors may by ordinance cause to be
transferred to the common school fund
from moneys in any fund not otherwise
appropriate sufficient money to liqui
date such expenses and provide for the
same in the next tax levy of the city
and county"
The Board of Education in April of
this year submitted it's estimate to the
Board of Supervisors in the amount of
S1,113, 900 for primary and grammar
grade teachers and $4,000 for high
school teachers. The only action taken
by the Board of Supervisors was the
awarding of the lump sum of $1.200.000
/
partment of whatever nature for the
present fiscal year. The Auditor of
the city and county, pursuant to law.
duly segregated the sum of $4,000 per
month to cover the salaries of (pri
mary and grammar grade) teachers,
and he has assured me that he will hold
this amount intact until the rights of
the teachers in the premises are fully
determined.
Chapter 3. article Z, of the charter
reads as follows:
L. - II.
21st days of May of each year, adopt
a schedule of salaries for the next en-
suing fiscal year for teachers and all
employees of the School Department"
1t is an admitted fact that the law
has not been complied with. in this in
stance, and no schedule was adopted
until August of this year. 1t has been
repeatedly held by the courts that pro-
visions of this character are manda-
tory, and the conclusion must follow
that unless the board proceeds in strict
ule of the preceding fiscal year will
necessarily remain in force. The Board
of Education is purely creature of
the statute, and the provisions of the
and measure of its power.
Any officer so violating his duty and
all officers violating their duty by pay
ing a demand against said teachers
salary funds shall be liable to arl
teacher who shall be deprived of her
salary by reason of the unlawful action
of such oficials. 1t would be work
of supererogation to cite any further
authorities to. show that the law. both
State and municipal. contemplates that
certain moneys shall be set aside for
the payment of teachers salaries and
that these shall constitute a trust fund.
and that these moneys shall not be
used for any other purpose unless all
the teachers salaries have cen paid.
The present occasion is one that i'm
peratively demands the exercise OF
these emergency powers. The public
school teachers are admittedly much
overworked and underpaid. The re-
duction of teachers salaries at a time
like this. when rentals and the cost of
the necessaries of life are soaring sky
ward, is the infection of unnecessary
hardship upon class of faithful pub
lie. servants, and neither this admins
tration nor any other can safely COM
nit itself to such a policy.