The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1911-01-06
TEACHERS FAVOR A
RETIREMENT LAW
WOULD RAISE PENSION FUND
BY ASSESSMENT AND
APPROPRIATION.
State Educational Association Ends
Three Days Session at Seattle-N.
D. Showafter Of EIIensburg Chosen
President-Next Convention to Be
Held at North Yakima.

Held at North Yakima.
citation, in session at the State Uni
versity last week, unanimously in
dorsed the movement for pensiOning
teachers in this State as set forth by
Otto L. Luther, principal of the Queen
Anne High School, who acted as chair
man of committee which has been
at work on the subject for a year.
The committee submitted draft of
the teachers retirement law, which
was approved and will be presented
to the Legislature with a request that
the proposed foundation be estab-
lished by law and the State regulate
and take charge of the retirement
fund.
The proposed pension law, if
passed, will provide for the retire
ment of teachers after thirty years
of service, fifteen spent in this State.
The money will come from dues col
lected from the members of the teach
ers' retirement fund, to membership
of which teachers, school clerks, prin-
cipals, supervisors, supervising prin-
cipals and superintendent of public
schools of the State are eligible, and
an appropriation from the State Leg
islature, and money and property re-
ceived by gift and bequest.
| Assessment on Teachers.
! Each teacher will be required to pay
1 per cent of his or her monthly sal
airy during the first ten years of mem
bership, per cent during the second
ten and 21s per cent during the third
| ten. The dues in no case shall .ex-
coed $50 a year.
| The board of directors of the pro-
posed fund shall consist of nine mem
bers-the State Superintendent of
Public Instruction and eight persons,
three non-teacher trustees and five
teacher trustees, chosen by delegates
elected by members of the fund. This
shall be the sole judge of incapacity.
| The draft provides that the Board
of Education shall deduct monthly
from the regular contracted monthly
salary of teachers who are members
the required percentage of dues. The
amount of the annuity shall be six
tenths of the average annual salary
for the last five years of active SER
vice, but not less than $500 nor more
than $500.
Frank B. Cooper Retires.
The main item of business at the
closing meeting of the convention was
the election of officers for the coming
year. The choice of a president of
the body to succeed Superintendent
Frank B. Cooper, of Seattle, promised
to be spirited, as both ND. Showal-
ter, principal of the Cheney Normal
| School, and S. B. L. Penrose, presi-
dent of Whitman College, were men
toned for the place. President Pen
rose withdrew and Principal Showal-
ter was unanimously elected.
The retiring president has served
three years as president of educa-
tional associations in as many States,
presiding at state meetings in Iowa,
Utah and Washington.
Mrs. Josephine Preston, superin-
tendent of Walla Walla county
schools, was chosen vice-president,
and Charles Pagan, principal of the
Cascade school, this city, was re-
elected to succeed himself as treas
urer. O. c. Whitney, of Tacoma, sue
ceeds himself as secretary.
New Educational Council.
The following new members of the
educational council were chosen:
George Gregg, of Davenport; George
A. Stanley, of Tacoma; F. C. Heck,
of Walla Walla; J. J. Mcintosh, of
Mount Vernon, and j. H. Morgan, of
Ellensburg normal.
The committee on resolutions in it's
report suggested the adoption of a
new system of nomenclature in gram
mar, advised tie inspection of high
schools by the State, urged the liberal
maintenance of normal schools, rec
commended provisions for home cot
tages for teachers, signified their ap-
Ipreciation of the Bailey and Babette
Gatzert Foundation at the State Uni.
versity for defective children, and ex-
pressed their appreciation of the edu.
cational work of Arthur r. Priest, re
firing dean of the liberal arts school
of the State University, and expressed
their regrets at his severance of rela.
lions with that institution.
The committee on resolutions fur.
Their Endorsed the $4,000 appropria-
ton by Congress for the establish.
ment of corps of educational spe.
cialists to make investigations in
rural, Industrial, city and other fields
of education, and instructed the secre
tary to send copy of this indorse.
ment to Richard A. Ballinger, Score
ltary Of the Interior, and each of the
Congressman from the State Of Wash.
ington.
i North Yakima was chosen as the
place for the next meeting in Decem.
Der, 1911.
| Idaho Guard Threatened.