The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1914-12-29

At last nights adjourned session of the Board of Education the report of
 the finance committee was accepted
 making g. requisition of $52S.949 for
 1915. In accepting the report the re-
 quisitjon is practically completed for
 filing with City Auditor Heating and
 consideration by the Board of Appor- tionxneIt. There may be slight amendment in the amount asked
 account of salaries, Commissioner J. l=J- Cullinan entering a motion that a $50 increase be added to the salary of each teacher He said that this, with out committing himself, was largely for the purpose Of introducing the question as to how the salaries paid
 Bridgeport teachers compare with
 other cities. It was referred to the committee on schools to secure data and tabled for consideration until the, next meeting.
 Comnissioner Challenger called at tention to several teachers of the
 highest ability leaving Bridgeport on account Of other cities paying much
 more for the same work Conmis-
 sioner cullinan estimated that an adoption of the $50 increase would add about S1 500 to the budget this year and between s12,OO0 and SIS, ,o0O
 the yeter following This will not con hict with the automatic increase al- lowed teachers annually until the
 maximum is reached.
 According to the opinions voiced last night Cona1nissioneds John A.
 Hurley and Louis A. Schwerdtle favor one maximum, A. w Bell and ". R,
 Webster. Jr.. do not favor an increase, while John y. CuIlinan. George W. Osborne, Howard S Challenger, Ea- rner H. Havens and pr. w. H. Ryan believe that some material action lishould be taken along this line. During the discussion several of the sconnmfssioners took the occasion to speak in 1ncomp1imentary terms of the ability Of some of the high school l male teachers in cornparison with
 those Of the opposite sex. Several believe that it is rank injustice to have a difference in salary, simply be- Icause of sex Conmissioner Bell said I Ithat he was opposed to the establish
 nnent of a privileged class" and Commissioner Webster believed that the salaries of teachers should be l governed by the supply and demand Illustrating he said that it is possible to secure all the women teachers nec- essary at a comparatively low salary while male teachers are scarcer. can't land won't work TOT the low figure He
 believed that the raising of salaries
 would be the establishment of a priv-t I iIeged class in the community. some Ithing that is not desired.
 I Com1nissioner Hurley could not see IswE1y the men should be paid more than the women. if of only equal or 1 inferior ability. Commissioner Chal-7 jlenger believed that it is an injustice l to have discrimination. He cited the I case Of Miss May C. Wendell, an ac-
 1znowledged expert German teacher. who SIeft Bridgeport high school and I a salary Of $1 400 to teach in New 1 York, wher she receives $25o0 yearly IPassed upon the opinion of a F ale pro- I 7l,o- llieved that Miss Wendell was the.
 most capable preparatory school l teacher in New England and that it is shame that Bridgeport cannot keep such teachers
 1 It became known that a conmun1- l cation was sent to each comnissioner vesterday by Bridgeport Teachers, as- l sociation regarding salary increases I and citing figures from 85 cities of I prominence to support their conten- l tions.
 I One argument advanced informally I was a comparison Of salaries in the I schools and other municipal depart 4 rnents As an illustration it was cited I that men with little or no education I can become members of police or fire I departments at an initiatory salary of l a thousand a year while there are I teachers only commanding $70o who l have been teaching continuously for I 15 or more years
 l It was shown that, if the resolution I of Commissioner Cullinan is approved I and the rules amended, the greatest maximum will become eseo0, maximum
 of primary teachers ss5O and in inter
 ediate grades where the salary is be- low $500 there will be an increase of I $50.
 I Commissioner Bell asked what would
 be done if there was a teacher who I was not considered worthy of the sal- T ary and, before a reply could be made, ICommissioner Hurley asked as to what is done with them now when com- plairts are entered against them. l Commissioner Bell explained that, in
 such a case the teacher in question Is moved to another school and kept there, at least until complaints are re- s ceived there and then the s'moving's is
 repeated. Commissioner Hurley asked if this procedure, or what would be l done if a woman in his employ was | not capable. Commissioners Bell did
 not reply except to explain that he has no women working for him ez-
 cepting his wife and-he added snniI- l ingly-she does what he tells her.
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