The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1913-11-07

it assumes the entire responsibility
for teachers pensions, does this under
the following rigid conditions: The
beneficiary must be at least 60 years
of age; he must have taught thirty
five, years, at least twenty-five of
which,. including the last fifteen, must
have been in that state. Nor is that
all. The pension is not to exceed me
half of the salary last received and in
no q is it to be more than $500.
In Maryland the situation ia even less
satisfactory. Here, while the service
requirement is the same, the maxi
mum annuity Is only 5000, a sum utter
ly Inadequate. These conditions did
not seem to us to meet the situation
in this state.
Your committee consequently aban-
doned the idea Of a pension system
maintained wholly at state expense
been adopted in most Of the larger
cities Of the country and also, in re-
cent years, in several Of u most
progressive. states. BY this plan the
teachers themselves contribute a mod
icum to the fund, the state also pay
ing into it and becoming responsible
for the collection of the money and
the payment Of the annuity. After
careful examination of the various
laws Of this sort, your committee
took the Wisconsin statute Of 1911 as
its model and drew up a bill which
was introduced by Senator H. A.
Bronson Of Grand Forks as senate
bill 95. This bin passed both branches
of the legislature, was approved by
Governor Hanna March II, 1913, and
is now the law. g.
AS many Of you know, the new a
provides for the pensioning Of all
teachers in the public schools of the
state, including county superintend-
ents and their assistants, who have
served for twenty-five years, Of which
eighteen years, including the last five,
shall have been in North Dakota. It.
further provides that In case of per-
manent disability a teacher may re-
tire after fifteen years of active serv-
ice. The amount OF the retiring an
nuity Is determined by two factors,
viz: The average salary received
during the last five years Of service,
and the length of service. More 'ex-
plicitly. a retired teacher is to receive
from the fund each year as many
fftleths of his average salary as he
has taught years. That is. if he has
taught twenty-five years, $3.50. or
one half; If he has taught thirty
years, $3.50, or three-ffths. In no
case, however, is the annuity to fall
below $3.50 or to rise above $3.50. e..
The law provides by the. following
means for The creation Of a fund for
the payment of these annuities: first,
by the annual payment from the u
ty tuition fund in each county Of the
sum of 10 cents for each person Of
school age in said county; second, by
an assessment upon all eligible teach
ers Of l per cent Of their salaries dur
ing their first ten car of. service,
and Of two per cent thereafter. This
assessment in no case, however, is to
exceed $40 per n during the first
ten years nor $40. per annun during
the remaining time. Provision is. made
that all teachers at present engaged in
teaching in this state. ma or may not
become members of this fund as they
see At; but that all teachers signing
contracts for the first time in this
state after Jan /, 1914, shall be DEEM
ed thereby to become members Of the
fund, such acceptance of membership
and accompanying agreement to pay
the legal assessments forming there
after a necessary part Of all contracts
with new teachers.
The law further, provides for a
board of management for the fund, to
consist Of the state superintendent Of
public instruction, the state treasurer,
and three members of the fund, one
Of whom, at least, shall be a. woman,
to be appointed by the governor. It
provides that this board shall have
authority to make uch further rules
and regulations as are necessary or
may become necessary to carry out
th~e..@1proVision s.sand spirit of. the law.
1t gives us great pleasure TO state
that Governor Hanna has appointed