The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1907-02-06
MUST HAVE BEST
SCHOOL TEACHERS
AND PAY THEM BY the YEAR
Director Nichols Tells Of the Manner
in Which the Board is Hustling
for the Schools Of No. z.

Inc pOafO Oh eoucatlOn OF the CITY
continues to make advance move.
ments in school matters, and is do.
ing some hustling that surprises
even their California superintendent
The board realizes that good build
ings alone will not make good
schools, nor even good superin-
tendent. They are confident now
that they are going to have modern
up-to-date buildings, and they have
at least superintendent in whom
they have unbounded confidence, and
they are not only going to give him
an opportunity to work out his plans,
but arc az to give him the best
teachers % be found to help him pur-
sue his progressive policy.
ceive assistance.
1.-THE teachers are pursuing a
course of self-improvement and are
harmonious and happy. These are
conditions very gratifying to the
board, but our superintendent is not
satisfied, nor are we. He wants our
schools to fit our boys and girls for
practical life, and so do we, and to
that end next year will find a full
manual training cours inaugurated,
including bench work for the boys
and sewing and cooking for the
girls. There will also be a full
commercial course in the high school,
including bookkeeping, typewriting,
shorthand and business correspond.
ence, and our schools will be on a
par with any in the state of Wash
ington."
Have you done anything recently
which you think will benefit the
schools, Mr.. Nichols?"
Eyes; at our last meeting in
troduced resolution placing our
schools on civil service or merit
basis. This resolution. with slight
amendment, was unanimously adopt
ed by the board"
"You cannot have good schools
without good teachers" remarked
Director Nichols, 'and you can
neither get such teachers as we want
and must have, nor can you keep
them when once they are secured, un-
less you pay them good salaries. A
teacher who is worth less than $50
per month is not the kind we want in
the Yakima schools. We propose to
ask for the highest teaching eff
cheney, and to get 1t we must pay
higher wages than we are now pay
ing. Our teachers are drawn to Sc
attic and Tacoma on the west and
Walla Walla and Spokane on the
east because in those cities much
better salaries are being paid than
we pay In Yakima. We propose to
make our schools such that teachers
from those cities will want to come
to us, and I am pleased to say we
have several already who have heard
Of our improved school conditions,
and have applied for positions. We
now have as good a grade library as
can be found in the state; we are do
ing departmental work in the gram
mar grades. and have an ungraded
room in connection with each build
ing, in which backward pupils re-
What are the main features of
the resolution"
First. all teachers and principals
employed in any department of the
district must be recommended bv
the city superintendent before being
engaged.
Second. all teachers engaged for
the high school must be college or
university graduates. and those en-
gagged for the grades must either be
normal graduates or experienced
teachers who can present satisfac-
tory evidence of their success in the
school room. In the case of new
teachers. they will be on probation
for the first three months and may
be dropped at the end of that time
II not satisfactory. All teachers will
be engaged by the year and paid by
the year. and II at the end Of the
year they receive the recommends
ton Of the city superintendent they
will be re-engaged at an advance Of
$50 per year. This recommendation
= to b based on merit Only. go In