Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1907-05-04
Educators Agreed as to Scarcity
of Teachers in Rural Dis
tricts Of the State
TWO SOLUTIONS ARE PRESENTED
Higher Wages and Consolidation of
Small Districts Only Method of Re-
ievns conditions-count Associa-
tons Take Up misunderstanding
Contracts for public Buildings.
,ecial to Times Republican.

! Special to Times-Republican.
Des Moines. AIay 4.-Some time this
summer State Supt. Riggs will ad-
/ dress letter to the school directors
and members OF boards of education
| turnout the state on the question Of
| shortage OF teachers. He is not ready
to discuss the contents of the letter
but is making a careful study of the
assist the directors as far as possible
in finding teachers as the office has al
ways done
| Educators of the state. however, are
agreed that there are but two way;
of solving the shortage OF teachers
problem and that is higher wages fol
the teachers and consolidation OIL
| schools where there are hut a few pu-
pills. School journals have taken up the
| fight and are preaching higher wages
and consolidation Of small schools, and
county superintendents are agreed upon
JslllG SdIlS ISlIICuy. ~ iS Sio'AASo w ~
ucators that there is no united and
agreed plan to preach this doctrine but
that everybody is agreed because the
matter is SO plain.
County teachers associations have
taken it up. The latest is series OF
resolutions passed by the county
teachers association of Crawford coun-
ty. County Superintendent f. l.. Hoff-
man OF that county has endorsed the
resolutions. He says that unskilled la
borers are paid $50 to $40 a month and
their board and school teachers are
paid the same wages and allowed to
pay their own board with everyone re-
fusing to give them a change even to
pay their board. In the country dis
tricts 1t is difficult for teacher to
find place to board and conditions
generally are not made very pleasant
for her.
The resolutions by the Crawford
County Teachers Association are in
teresting as bearing on the general
question Of the shortage Of teachers.
They are as follows:
Whereas, There were i'll Crawford
county two schools closed during the
winter term because of shortage OF
teachers and the quitting Of Is teach
ers this spring foretells shortage OF
fifteen to twenty-five to fill the schools
for the spring term and q ssoodly NUM-
Der signifying their intention OF quit
ting this summer foretells even a
greater shortage for next year.
And, whereas, there are in Crawford
county at the present time seven
schools vacant for want of pupils. nine
whose average is less than Ave and fif-
ty-nine whose average attendance Is
less than item, therefore be 1t re-
solved:
"First, that since we believe the
shortage OF teachers to he the result
OF a combination OF causes chief among
which are, first, low wages paidt to
teachers as compared with other pro-
,fessions of equal or inferior rank.
Second, lack OF accomlnodat tons in
regard, to board, etc, and the neglect of
proper courtesies to the teachers in
many districts general raising OF
wages and a more consitlerate treat
ment OF teachers is the only effective
and permanent means OF remedying this
shortage of teachers.
Third, that, questioning the wisdom
and economy of maintaining schools
where the enrolment is less than ten,
we recommend temporary closing OF all
such schools, transporting the pupils
when necessary to the neighboring
schools, and raising the teachers sal
aries SO that $45 for the first, $40 for
the second and $3s for the third, shall
be the lowest wages received by all
rural teachers in Crawford county,
t.Fourth, that, we recommend a nine
months school or eight months with
the same annual salary as Tor nine
month year.
"Fifth, that teachers be allowed the
same holidays as governm ent employees.
And be it further resolved, that we as
teachers and educators, t.o-operate In
every possible way with the school Off
GERS of Crawford county In putting the
above recommendations into early and
successful operation"
County Supt. Hoffman OF Crawford,
gives some interesting statistics on
that county. He has discovered by
comparing the rolls of teachers of the
county for the year 1865 with that
Of 1sO6-7, there are ninety seven teach
ers who taught a year ago that are not
teaching in the county now. OF these
twenty-five got, married, thirteen failed
in examinations, twenty four left the
county for, better positions and better
wages elsewhere, thirty left teaching
and went into other work for various
reasons, and eight just quit because
they didn't want to teach any longer.
During the same period, there were.
forty-two beginners started in the.
county, and twelve came in from. other
counties, and eleven dormant teachers
re-entered the work. He claims that
the difficulty in passing the state ex-
aminations is not the cause Of the
scarcity, for the reason that the stand
ard Is now as low as 1t dare be, and he
has complaints frequently that teachers
are unable to solve moderately difficult
problems.
Announcement In the dispatches that
the officials of the Hartman lines in
tend to begin the issue of transporta-
ton to newspaper publishers on adver-
Using contracts, and that contracts will
be entered into not only for state
transportation, but for interstate trans
lportation, again raises the question
whether 1t was the intention Of con-
gress in passing the Hepburn DolliVer
Interstate bill to cut off newspa per con-
tracts Of this kind. Vice President
Fairbanks was asked that question
while here and he stated that there
was not particle Of doubt that it was