Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-01-07
Committee to Investigate.

AL the same time a COmIlllttee, COHl-
posed of II. p. Blair. Mrs. Ellen Spencer
Mussey and Richard r. Horner. was APP
pointed to make an investigation on the
question of salary payments to substitute
teachers. The reports of the attorney and
the committee on this problem of salary
for teachers are expected to make the
next meeting of the board interesting.
What was perhaps the most important
feature OF yesterdays session at the
Franklin School building was an address
by Supt. Stuart on the sick leave prob
lem. Earlier in the meeting several Of
the members criticised the salary sys-
tenn of the schools, and Mrs Mary
Church Terrell especially scored the in
justice of the PLAN
"A few days ago." said Supt. Stuart,
'the question of the boards authority to
employ substitute teachers went from the
auditor of the District to the controller
of the Treasury. l am sure an erroneous
impression has gotten abroad in the COM
munity by. the publication Of the decision
of the controller.
Not a Regular Practice.
From casual reading of the deci-
sion the layman would gather that it is a
regular practice in Washington for teach
ers to farm out their places and pocket
the difference between their salary and
the amount they pay substitutes.
Now. the two cases referred to the
controller of the Treasury by the Dis
trict auditor were very rare and isolated.
They were without parallel in their pecu-
liar features and were brought to the at
tention of the auditor because there was
no apparent way in which to pay these
teachers.
For the last forty years 1t has been the
rule that the teacher could employ a SUBJ
stitute who could for thirty days receive
half pay. Now Washington is not the
only city that allows substitutes to teach.
have returns from eighty-two cities
showing that the hiring of substitutes is
not only countenanced by school authori-
ties. but provided for by Them
Practice in Other Cities.
Mr.. Stuart then read a compilation
showing that full pay was given in cases
of personal illness for varying lengths of
time in many cities. New York leads
the list. with ninety-one days leave; KAN
sas City. Lexington and Yonkers, twenty
days each; East st. Louis. Hoboken, Mel
rose and Somerville, Mass. fifteen days.;
Cleveland. ST. Joseph. Mo-; Waltham.
ten days; Holyoke, Mass. eight days:
Columbus. Ohio; Fort Wayne, Ind. and
Passaic. N. j., six days; Denver, Col
Pawtucket. r. l.; Racine, Wis: San An
tonic. Tex. and Waterbury, Conn.,, five
days, and Bloomfield, N. j., two days.
ed in many other cities. as follows:
Quincy, Mass, eighteen weeks: Jersey
City. thirteen weeks: Baltimore. two
months; Brookline. Mass, six weeks; ST.
Joseph. Mo-. five weeks: ST. Louis. one
month: Montgomery. Ala. four weeks;
Butte. Mont; Minneapolis. Milwaukee,
New Haven. Peoria, ILL.,: Reading. Pa. !;
Spokane and st. Paul. three weeks !;
Syracuse. n. Y: Davenport, Iowa: Har-
risburg, Pa, and Houston. Tex. two
ILL.,, and Stamford, Conn.,, one week.
Allowed one-Fourth Pay.
Many cities allow one-fourth of the
regular pay in case OF personal illness.
Such system is followed in Hyde Park,
Mass. five weeks; Louisville, four weeks:
Bridgeport, Conn, three weeks; Stamford,
Conn. and Worcester. Mass. two weeks;
Portsmouth. n. H., and Racine, Wis,
until close of current month.
Particular attention was directed by Mr..
Stuart to the cities where the so-called
farming" system was allowed. This
system allows full salary, and the ap-
pointment of a substitute Instructor.
VILE. Tenn. and Wilkesbarre. Pa, two
weeks; Columbia and Waterbury, Conn,
three weeks: Bloomfield, n j.: Dayton.
Ohio; Haverhill. Mass. and Fitchburg,
Mass. four weeks.
The benefits of a sick allowance" sys-
tenn were dwelt upon at some lens n by
Supt. Stuart. In Indianapolis, ne ex-
planned. the teacher receives $50 per
day while i'll. provided that the total
apaount does not exceed $50.
Washington Less Liberal.
TN Washington" said Prof. Stuart
teachers have never been given leave
with pay in case OF death in the family,
have never been given recompense In
case OF quarantine, and under the recent
decision OF the controller we are not per-
mitted to give leave and pay in case OF
personal illness. Such a condition ex-
lists in no other city in the country"
Continuing, Supt. Stuart said that re-
turns showed that 900 teachers were alb
sent during the month Of December and
that 1877 had submitted reports showing
causes for absence. These teachers have
been unable to draw their salaries on ac-
count Of the inability of the auditor of
the District, the board Of education and
the controller Of the Treasury to agree
on the amounts which should be deducted.
Following is the list Of causes submitted
by the 1877 teachers who were absent dur
ing the month: Personal Illness 125;
serious illness and death in family, 3;
death of friend. 3: death in family. 10;
serious illness in family. IL; marriage in
family, L; personal illness and serious
illness in family. 1: death in family and
personal illness, 1: urgent personal bust
iting schools. IS; taking examinations, g.
For Better Sanitation.
Before the close of the session the boa Ri