The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1908-11-28
BAD FAITH OF THE BoAED.

In the matter of the meager and mig
gardly raise in the salaries OF the
public school teachers Of this city,
the fact has been too much lost sight
OF that this raise was not on any gen
erl principle, but was given with par.
tiality and favoritism. Word comes to
US direct that number of the oldest
and best teachers in this city were de-
MED altogether any participation IN
this raise. And there is no reason ap-
parent for this denial, except that the
ones to be favored belonged to the
Mormon church and the ones. not ia.
vored do not so belong.
A studious attempt Is being made all
through this campaign TO slur over and
ignore the fact that the raise in taxa
tion made by the Legislature of 1907
through the common consent OF all con"
cerned, was worked up and obtained
through the efforts OF the grade
teachers. Now, we havo, contended that
the grade teachers should be the chief
participants in the benefits that would
accrue from this raise. Contrary to
this, however, the board has given the
grade teachers the go-by to a consider
able extent IN this, and the raise of
oven those that were benefited at all
was not more than about onefourth
to one.ffth of what it ought to have
been. while number did rot receive
any raise at all. The raise which was
had, through the efforts OF the grade
teachers, would have added to every
one of their salaries somewhere from
twelve to fifteen dollars a month. What
does raise Of two dollars and fifty
cents amount to compared with what
was justly due to those teachers'
1t is idle TO raise any outcry about
the antagonisms between the different
classes of teachers, or about fostering
iealousies among them. Here is plain,
simple question Of justice and good
faith. The sentiment and consent for
tho raise in the limit of taxation was
worked up by the grade teachers. The
Board of Education had pledged itself
to those grade teachers that they would
get the money that would accrue from
their efforts. This pledge was made
by the board because of the representa-
tIon OF the grade teachers that they
were not receiving money enough to
allow them to pay their expenses during
the year. That is, their noses were kept
to the grindstone constantly, without
their being able to more than barely
get through the year. In response to
that representation, the board replied
that it would be glad to relieve the
situation Of the grade teachers if it had
the money, but that the then state of
its finances made this impossible. The
grade teachers thereupon set to work
to relieve the financial pressure of the
board. and worked up the sentiment in
favor of the increase IN the tax limit
by one mill. The raise was brought
about as desired. but the board has
scapdalously failed to live up to it's
agreement, And.~for that failure to
observe good faith towards the teach"
ers, the board is properly answerable
to the public of Salt Lake.
The legitimate result OF this bad
faith on the part Of the board de-
veloped to the notice Of the Salt Lake
public few weeks ago, when the board
made loud outcry because it was
losing teachers, those teachers being
induced to leave it's service for other
service more advantageous. \ specific
outcry against the University was made
by the board in that connection, There
is every reason to believe that the
teachers who did leave the service Of |
the board and of the public schools in
this city did so because the board |
failed 10 keep its agreement aud to
make the raise in salaries that the !
grade teachers had secured and that
the board had agreed to make. Bad |
faith, of course, nurses distrust and |
aversion. And when TO distrust and |
aversion is added an offer of better en-
ployment elsewhere at increased pay, |
then there is little reluctance on the
part of the teacher in leaving the en-
ploy of the board which has shown that
oad faith