The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1907-07-18
Pointers for School Directors.


John F. Riggs, state superintendent
of schools, has issued pamphlet to
|school directors in which he give a
number of valuable pointers which he
believes they might use with profit to
the school under their direction.
In regard to the teachers supply he
states that the present supply of
efficient instructors is below the de-
mand. Some schools must therefore be |
closed or filled by teachers of imma ture
experience and Indifferent scholarship.
The practice Of the past has been to |
keep the school open and to hire the
lily equipped instructor. AS the graded
schools pay better salaries than the !
country schools the tendency is for the
best teachers to leave the country and
get positions in town. Consequently
the inefficient teachers are more likely
to be found in the rural districts.
There are two ways in which this I'M
fortunate condition may be at once
remedied in part:
First. Pay better wages for high
grade teachers. In this way you will
attract more competent people to this
branch of the public school service.
Second. Close the small school where
possible. In this way many of the weak
and poorly qualified teachers may be
rejected altogether.
| Everyone is aware that the cost of
living has been constantly increasing
for decade, that wages in all occupa-
tions have advanced in proportion, and
that opportunities for employment were
never so many or so attractive as at
present. While the condition exists the
only possible way to prevent many good
teachers from abandoning the teaching
profession for other employment is to
make teaching more attractive from the
salary viewpoint. A higher wage for
teachers will also attract in the pro-
fession many capable young men and
women who now do not consider teach
ing at all, but at once enter other occu-
pations that are more remunerative.
l do not recommend an indiscriminate
raise of salaries. The salaries should be
graded. A teacher with record Of
successful experience, and with high
grade certificate, should be paid high
salary. A teacher with lower grade
certificate should be paid less salary,
while teacher with very low grade
certificate, if such a one must be
employed, should be paid a still lower
salary.
1t is strongly advised that every
school board adopt scale of wages in
keeping with the grade of certificate
held that will at least equal the present
standard of wages in other callings.
Another means by which the rural
schools may be Immediately improved is
by temporarily uniting the schools in
contiguous districts where there are
but few children Of school age. A
school of twenty or TWENTY-FIVE pupils
is usually better school than one Of
five or ten pupils. There are many
schools in every county of the state that
could unite with other schools for the
year. thereby reducing the number of
teachers required and making it possible
to select the better qualified ones. This
would not commit any district to the
policy of consolidation. Each district
would continue it's organization undis-
turbed, the school being closed with
the consent of the County Superin-
tendent) only for such time as called
for by contract with the other district.