Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-02-26

ton schemes and pass the Commissioners
b1li. In thlB connection he read from tables
in census buiietin No. %. 1905, statistics Of
citfes. TO show that the public school ex-
pendfti1res here were not extravaganza, az
compared with those elsewhere. He pointed
out that all conditions must be taken INTO
account In making these comparisons, In
order 10 secure accuracy.
This was the national capital. with ex-
acting standards of public education. with
a double system of schools under one head.
with large number of communities out
side Of the city of Washington. containing
sixty-thoisand people. scattered over hfiy
territory and requiring more school houses
and school rooms. Moreover. Il was the
policy OF the Commissioners and Congress
to reduce the number of pupils In a room.
In accordance with the best principles of
teaching. and this had been steadily done.
Therefore. the District had more school
buildings and rooms. and therefore larger
expenditures. proportionately, than In
other jurisdictions. This must be taken
Into account in such comparisons, like the
other fact that the District has state. coun-
ty and city functions and expenditures,
while cities elsewhere nave only city func-
lions ana expenditures. Indeed. he said.
the District OF Columbia ought not to be
compared as the city of Washington with
cities elsewhere, since all its expenditures
were under one Mad. whereas the state
and county expenditures were not reported
under the head of the other cities. But
making all allowances, the District stood
wen. even on a simple comparison of per
capital expenditures. as shown in the CEN
sus bulletin table. He pointed out that the
per capita cost here, making no allowance
for difference in conditions, was S576; in
cleveland. $56s: In Pittsburg. 500; in
minneapolis. 1924: in Kansas City, Mo-,
S603: in Denver. So SO: in Los Angeles,
1922; in New York city, $756: in Boston,
$40.
Salaries Of Teachers.
As to the salaries of teachers, the table he
presented had been made from the report
OF Carroll D. Wright to the National Edu-
cationai Association in 1905 and showed
conelusively that the District teachers were
underpaid. as compared with those else
where. 1t must be remembered, he said.
that the District had more high and manual
schools and larger proportion of attend
ance IN them than elsewhere. Moreover, the
District pays for normal schools which
cities
Mr.. Mcfarland closed with an urgent
appeal, which he said he felt sure the COM
inNtee would grant, to report the Commits
SloncrsS bill, in response to the request of
the community, and to indefinitely post
pone the reorganization schemes.
President Needham.
- esident Needham of George Washington
University, who followed Commissioner
Mcfarland, said that he thought the board
or education was as efficient as 1t could
be made. Many of the disadvantages under
which 1t labored could be obviated he
thought by legislation to increase the saia-
ries of teachers. He saia he would be glad
If the salary given to the members of the
board of education were cut off. He did not
despise the money, but thought that good
attendance and good service could be &C.
cured without this compensation.
Mr.. Needham said that one reason why
the local school system was compare
lively expensive was that there were two
separate organizations, a white and col
ored system. with some unavoidable
duplication of work.
Teachers salaries he said, were lower
in Washington than in any other city to
which 1t could be compared. The Com
missioners bill to remedy conditions was
similar to the general plan followed in
other cities. 1t provided automatic in
creases to teachers subject to the general
supervision of the board of education. Mr..
Needham impressed upon the committee
that under the present scale of salaries
1t was impossible to keep the best teach
ers in the District.
Superintendent Stuart.
Superintendent Of Schools Stuart followed
Mr.. Needham. He said that In the last
three years twenty-one high school teach
ers had resigned to accept better positions
elsewhere. In the Manual Training School
alone six heads of departments had left
within three years. 1t was largely mat
ter of representation that the salaries be
increased. The salaries paid here In the
public schools were not only lower than
the salaries paid in other branches of. the
government service, but were also lower
than those paid in the public schools of
other cities.
Mr.. Stuart said that there was no objec-
ton to having public school teachers start
in on low salaries. It was only q question
of holding out to them some hope for the
future. In sixteen cities ranging in popu-
y. axN
was the lowest in salaries paid to high
school principals and high school teachers.
and also very near the lowest in the sala-
rieS paid to elementary school principals.
In a list of thirty of the largest cities
Washington was the lowest in the salaries
paid to high school principals and tea cheers,
and there were only three lower In salaries
paid elementary school principles and
twelve lower in salaries paid elementary
school teachers.