New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-05-18
BOARD 0F EDUCATION
VOTES FOR EQUAL PAY
New Schedules Raise Salaries OF
Over $4,000 Women in
Elementary Schools.
CHARTER MUST BE AMENDED
Victory of Movement Not Com
plete, However, High School
Teachers Not Being In
cluded in Resolution.

The Board Of Education voted yesterday
for equal pay for women teachers in ele-
mentary schools. adopting resolutions II
favor of the schedules prepared by the
special committee on teachers salaries
which will raise the pay Of over fourteen
thousand women teachers and increase the
annual salary budget by over sS.0oom.
The victory Of the women was not com
pete. however. as after a deadlock of over
an hour on the high school committee s
report an adjournment was taken without
action on the question OF salaries of women
teachers in the high schools
As soon as the subject of the elementary
school salaries was put before the board.
Commissioner John Martin produced a
severe Jar in the atmosphere by declaring
he had discovered that the proposed sched-
ules when put into operation, instead Of
eoualzing pay for men and women. would
actually discriminate against the men al
most as badly as the existing schedules
disseminated against the women. Mr..
Martin had been working overtime, and
arose armed with a mass Of documents and
statistics 10 prove his assertion.
II hope. Mr. President" Commissioner
Martin said, retorting 20 the efforts OF
those interested in the new schedules 10
have him declared out of order. that the
DEGRADED methods Of pack political con-
ventiops will not prevail in this board
Saws Committee Was "Buncoed."
He declared that he had analyzed in de-
tail the effect which the new schedules
would have. and had found that in many
grades men would have TO perform the
same service as women for actually less
nav. He declared the committee had been
''huncoed' into adopting the schedule by
the clever women teachers.
lie offered a resolution. referring the
~ hole matter Of salaries back TO the com
,nittee. with instructions that they report
substitute schedules under which the pay
~ the men in any place in the schools be
81 least as high as that OF women IN the
same place.
Abraham Stern. chairman Of the salary
committee. declared that Mr.. Martins cal
culations were Improbable, unfair AND
untrue" and that no such effect woulo
follow. Commissioner Somers said that the
only Instances in which women would re
ceive more than men I'm the same grace
WAS where the woman had been IN the ser
vice longer than the man. and that ne con
sidered such an effect just and a proper
recognition Of faithfulness and length or
service.
The new schedules, as adopted by vote
Of % 10 &C. declare that salaries shaii De
paid without regard TO the sex OF tho
teachers or of the pupils taught. FOR
teachers from the kindergarten 10 the OBJ
grade the initial salary is TO be s12o Tor
three years. with an increment Of eco
YEAR beginning with the fourth year and
continuing until the maximum of Slbo Is
reached in the sixteenth year. Jhose
teachers who I'm the fourth year obtain
charge Of classes from grade A to r.
Inclusive. shall receive at that time $3.50,
with an annual increment Of $50 until the
maximum OF $3.50 is reached, in the SIX
tenth year Heads of departments are
20 start at 81 800 in the ninth year, with
an annual increase of 800. until the max
imum of 1890 is reached. in the fifteenth
year. and head teachers are to start In
the sixth year with $3.50 with an annual
n increase Of sloo until $3.50 is reached, IN
the sixteenth year. Other schedules are
provided for the special branches and
schools
Now TO Amend Charter.
After these principles were declared for
ing the Corporation Counsel 70 prepare a
bill amending Section 1901 Of the revised
charter SO that the board shall be able 70
adopt as part of its bylaws the de-
tailed schedules as prepared by he COM
rnittee resolution also passed that
the salary of no teacher now in the sys-
tenn shall he reduced.
The board room was packed with women
H. <a,o
Of their five years. war on the old sched-
ules, and they were greatly rejoiced when
the result Of the vote on the elementary
schools schedules was announced. The
Board of Education has tussled with the
problem for more than two years.
Two reports were presented from the
special committee appointed 10 consider
the matter of high school salaries. The
majority report declared against the appli-
cation Of the equal pay idea TO teachers in
the high schools. while the minority re-
port signed by Commissioners Aldcroftt
and Whalen. proposed new schedules. plac-
inc the teachers in the high schools on the
same basis with the men. A vote on both
these reports resulted i'm deadlock. and
tho high school schedules were left as
they are.
1t is great victory as far It goes. -
said Grace g. Strachan. president of the
Interborough Association of Women
Teachers. we are delighted, and shall
not stop until we get the schedules for tho
high school teachers adopted also. don't
understand why the committee on high
schools presented a report actually increas-
ing the discrimination against the women
teachers in the high schools, instead Of
equanzing their pay. ] should like 10 have
them oxplain that 10 us. The discrimina-