Omaha daily bee., 1914-08-10
UneauaI Pay for EGunI work


Wide variations in the pay for the
same or similar work is one of the most
striking situations revealed by the in
Vestigation of teachers salaries lust
completed by the United States Bureau
OF Education, under the direction of ].
{. Boykin, editor of the Bureau Pub
lie elementary school teachers may re-
ceive $500 year, as some do in New
York City. or A5 a year. as in certain
rural communities. Even I'm cities of the
same class there are considerable diff
ferences in the salaries paid teachers.
On the administrative side there are
county superintendents with pay rang
ing from s115 to $4,000 per annum, and
college presidents receiving salaries all
the way from 5000 TO s124OO.
In city school systems salaries have
increased steadily in recent years, par
ticularly in the western states: and, in
general. salaries in city school systems
are fairly we'll standardized. The average
salary of the superintendent Of schools
in cities of over 10000 population is
SITS; the range is from $4,000 to $4,000.
In the same group OF cities high school
principals average 1856 and elementary
teachers, si,O1s. Even In the smallest
10000 population. salaries are fairly uni
form. The maximum for superintendent
in this group is $500 and the average
s1,915; but elementary teachers show an
annual average of 1888, with salaries as
high as $50 and as low as SlOI II is
In the colleges and universities that the
widest variation prevails The salaries
OF men with the rank of professor"
range from $3.50 20 1880. Professors"
in some institutions receive less than
instructors" or even Assistants in
Others. Salaries of deans of these in
situations vary from 800 TO 5000. Uni
versity teachers OF subjects for which
there is direct commercial demand out
side receive somewhat higher salaries
than those in charge Of the traditional
academic subjects, but the difference Is
less than might be expected. The highest
average salaries for full professors are
paid in law and civil engineering. Law
claims the highest paid professionally In
any subject. with one salary Of 1850;
but there are professors Of physics,
geology and Latin who receive 1900
IL is significant, however. that on the
basis OF the figures reported, most col
lege teaching, particularly in the first
two years. is done by men of instructor
grade with salaries OF $1,000 TO $500. or
by assistants, who receive on the av-
erage about $500. usually for half-time
services.
Quite as noteworthy is the variation
in salaries for state superintendents of
public instruction. The salaries VI the
chief school officers In the various states
range from $4,000 in New Jersey Ind
New York; 1850 in Illinois; $500 in Mas
sachusetts. and 5000 in Pennsylvania,
wisconsin, California, Indiana and Lou
isiana; down to 5000 in Delaware, Ne
braska and Nevada: $500 in South Caro-
lima and 81 800 in South Dakota.
The report contains detailed compari-
sons. showing the increase in teachers
salaries at different periods. The figures
thus collected will be utilized as the basis
for further Investigation by the Bureau
OF Education and by organizations sch
as the National Education association,
to determine the actual conditions Of the
teaching profession.