Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-10-04
DELAY IN PAYING TEACHERS
MEMBER OF SCHOOL BOARD
CHARGES IT TO RED TAPE.
Employees Required to Wait for Pay
Until Details Can Be
Worked Out.

I'VE had better stop trying to keep the
school system of Washington educational
in character and turn 1t into clerical
bureau said w, V. Cox. chairman of the
ways and means committee of the board
of education this morning at the Frank
lin School.
Mr. Cox was looking over the partially
completed payrolls for the public schools
and had just been told that it would very
likely be ten days yet, and perhaps
longer. before about LOO employees of
the board will receive their September
salaries.
the salaries of the teachers and other en-
plOyes of the school board were held up
until late in the month of October. ana II
was hoped that no such delay would be ex-
perienced this year. But certain new re-
qulrements have been made by the District
auditor. or perhaps by the controller OF the
Treasury-nobody at the Franklin building
seems TO know who-which have destroyed
these hopes
Red tape is declared to be the cause of
the delay by those school officials who have
been interviewed in regard to the matter.
and il is said to be red tape of most I'M
necessary nature. too. that would not De
permitted to exist for a minute in a prac-
teal business house.
Reports Required.
it is required that regular census re-
port" as Mr.. Cox put it, be made out
each month and submitted to the District
authorities before the salaries are palo'
This is checked up at the District Duiid-
ing. and again at the Treasury. which en-
tails still more delay.
First. the supervising principals make out
the pay roll sheets for their divisions: Inc
list of questions to be answered in almost
every case is said to contain many that are
Tir -
There are fifteen in all There are blanks
for such information as date of appoint
ment." period of service, and remarks
and subheads under number OF tnefn,
When the questions are all answered ana
written down by the supervisors. the dit
ferent rolls are turned in to the Franklin
1t then becomes necessary. in order to CON
form with the rules made by SOMEBODY, iof
the pay clerk at the Franklin to check up
every item for every one of the "oo EN-
p!oyes. When this is Gcne-and 1t some
times takes as long as half an hour 10 run
down one troublesome fact. owing to the
constant changes that are going on-type-
VII item copies of the rolls have to be mace
in duplicate. and then everything has to be
added up and proved and the summaries
written out in duplicate.
Force Working Night and Day.
The force at the Franklin has been work
ing night and day since last Friday on this
huge Job ana it VIII be about ten days be-
fore it is completed.
District Auditors Statement.
According to the Officials Of the auditors
office of the District the delay in connec-
ton with the pay rolls is in no way due to
that office AlOnZo I've adale. District audi
tor said the rolls have not been received
and nothing can be Gone toward paying
the teachers until such rolls can be prop
cry investigated by him.
DELAY he said he did not know. but 1t
would appear to him that the responsibility
should rest with the persons engaged in
having the pay rolls prepared.
He said that last year the teachers were
Maid October 10 In order to make pay
ment on that date this year the rolls will
have to be in the hands of the auditor
five days in advance.