Newark evening star and Newark advertiser., 1914-12-29
MERGE COUNTRY
SCHOOLS TOCUT
TEACHING COST
Teachers Association Startled
by State Commissioner Ken
daH's Suggestion.

vFfafb animal convention OF the
sfate Teachers Association is the
Dian proposed u Dr. Calvin y. KEN
iaiI. state com isstoner OF educatlon
for the consolidation Of rural pubic
schools in plan for reducing the
cost of education IN the state.
Tshs commissioners subject vas
"The Situation as Regards the
TEACHER and 1t was along this line
nat he argued in favor Of the con-
.entration Idea. There is one
eacher for every .s05 persons in the
state" he said, "and to those who
might express surprise over this re-
rnarkably large proportion Il might
ns argued that the rural schools
ould bs consolidated There are toe
saanv small schools At the present
irne. and In many instances the
work now done By tvTo teachers could
very easily be done ny one It would
also be possible 70 so arrange II that
special work could be done BY
eachers in three or four districts,
instead OF one, ss a. present. To
bring about this change II would be
necessary to inaugurate the County
Board Of Education, for the present
the innovation.
Quarter Of tho Teachers Untxxinod-
Fully One-auarter of the teachers
n the New Jersey schools are uI-
trained," continued DR.. Kendall, "and
his is altogether TOO large a proper
tion. There should be better facilities
here for training teachers, and. one
" the prime necessities is a normal
school in South Jersey. OF the 100000
inhabitants In that section OF the
-,
would enter such an institution, and
without any material effect upon the
attendance at similar institutions in
( other sections of the State. OF the
LOCO teachers employed In schools
throughout the State at the present
time 1000, or II per cent, are women.
Of these $50 have been engaged as
teachers for thirty Ave years, 1000
for less than one year 5000 for less
han five years and 5000 for less than
ten years There is no need to be
discouraged, because II does no good
to be discouraged. II Is a condition
hat we have to confront, not
theory The great majority OF young
women employed as teachers have
no Intention Of making II their life
work. The American people know
this, and appear willing 20 accept the
Despite this condition, the great
majority OF our teachers are as
sets. not liabilities. They have youth,
training and enthusiasm, and some
u them are so devoted TO their work
that they refuse to become devoted
20 anything else. Teaching is much
more difficult now than II was thir-
- years ago, and the State should
AXE cognizance of that fact by pro.
yiding greater facilities for training
Is Instructors. There is but little
home life for children as compared
70 thirty years ago, and there Is a
decrease OF parental responsibility.
Urges College for wsmsa.
The movement for establishing y
women's college IN New Jersey was
discussed by Mrs. william Shipman
Douglass, OF Jersey City, represent
ing the State Federation OF Worn
ems Clubs. The project was received
with enthusiasm by the thousand OF
more teachers, and Mrs. Douglass's
report OF the work already done in
this connection was heartily ap.
plauded. Chief among her arg1I-
rnents In favor OF the college was
that girls graduating from the high
schools do not measure up to the
standards Of other States. The prin-
cipal reason for this, she asserted,
was that the girls, unlike the boys In
ngh schools, are not aided by the
state in securing collegiate educa-
tions.
Mrs. Douglass urged that the State
Agricultural College, which Is con.
nected with Rutgers, could be utilized
for the purpose Of imparting higher
aducation to women. An investiga-
on already made, she said, disclosed
hat thirty members Of the Rutgers
aculty could be engaged as teachers
~ the proposed institution at a slight
increase in the salaries now paid
lem Several thousand dollars have
already been raised by private SUBJ
seriptions for the erection of dOrIni-
s0ry for the proposed college, and all
hat now remains for the state is to
pc as liberal toward the young women
as toward the young men.
Last year" said Mrs. Douglass,
no less than $50 high school positions
ia New Jersey were filed by women
who had taken college courses In
ether States. There IL no reason why
these positions should not have been
lilled by girls from New Jersey, who
had completed their studies in New
Jersey women's college. have
learned from correspondence with the
heads OF various Institutions devoted
70 higher education among women
that there are 500 pupils in these In
stitutions from New Jersey. The
amount Of money spent by these Stu.
dents IN other States is s4s5, 900. That
money should be left In New Jersey
Pand and Pension Merger.
The proposed merger q the teach
ara retirement fund and the Stats
pension is another subject Of wtde-
spread discussion. The program has
this TO say OF the proposed consoii-
sPubiio prints have stated that an
attempt will be made this winter %
merge what Is miscalled tho double
pension system referring TO the
Teachers Retirement Fund, ana tbs
State pension, chapter PCS, laws OF
1914 (successor TO the district thirty
ave years half-psy pension).
"a merger would mean the aboi-
ishment or 'wiping out OF either ths
Retirement Fund or the State pension
lat the September Trenton Retire.
nent Fund convention, State Commits
sioner Kendall repeatedly and IN
phaticaIly called attention to the fact
that there ia not a double pension
He declared In substance;
There is but one pension, ana tina
Is the pension granted by the State
The Teachers Retirement Fund Is no
q "pension;" 1t Is q disability, mu-
tual aid, cooperative insurance,
every cent Of whose funds is contrib
ated by the teachers, themselves
from their salaries, and 10 which th'
State does not contribute a dollar, ex
cept the few thousands needed to pa.
The expense Of administration, so tha
every penny furnished by the teacher
Shall go into the disability INSURANCE
fund
''The State pension (which Is h
enly teachers pension In New Jersey
is a pension for veterans who hav
taught public school In the Unite