Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1915-09-09
LETTERS FROM THE PEOPLE
Contract with Vermont School Teacher
Subject OF Criticism.
To the Editor of the Free Press:
CONTRACT FOR TEACHING


CONTRACT FOR TEACHING
Agreement. in trplicate, bctween.....
of........, Vermont, teacher and the
board of school directors of..., Yer
mont
Witnesseth:
!. Said ........agrees to teach the.
school in said town of...and said
board of school directors agrees to hire
said teacher.
.. The term to be for months, Of
four school weeks each month, beginning
the .......day of ....... .19l 49,, and end
ing the ......day OF ........, 19l....
The number OF months may be increas-
ed by not more than two weeks at the
election of said board of school direc-
tors.
3. The rate Of salary shall be...
dollars per month. but If tho board Of
school directors elects TO increase or de-
crease said term. as provided in para
graph No. 2. the teacher shall be Cyl
titled to a proportionate addition in sal
airy for the time increased and 30 sub
ject TO a proportionate for the time de-
creased.
4, Should the said school be di.contir-
ued by authorities other than the said
board OF school directors or by causes
not controlled by said board. said teach
or will be entitled to no salary during
the time of such discontinIance and tho
said board Of school directors and said
town shall not be liable therefor.
6. The said board may. without labil-
ity of said board or town. terminate this
contract whenever services of said teach
or prove unsatisfactory to 1t or injurious
to said school.
6. Said teacher holds n certificate Of
the following grade: ........, which will
expire on the day. day of........191. ...
The above is the form OF contract for
teaching supplied by our commissioner
OF education to the towns for school
teachers to sign. If We're now n teach
| er i should never sign section especial
ly. No one knows better than our COM
| missioner of education that there arc
many towns where the school-houses
are not up to legal requirements. Some
| school ;houses have already been con-
demned by the State board of health,
others are about TO be and there nre still
| others that should be condemned II the
| State laws are enforced Yet any teach
err engaged by ono Of these towns and
signing this form OF contract may lose
| half years salary and moro from no
| fault of his or her own should the
| school-houses be condemned by the
! State board OF henlth.
We were all led to believe that this
new education law was going to give US
better educational facilities, better teach
ers with better pay. so that all our good
| teachers would not be looking for n
chance to better themselves by leaving
| the State.
Section lq of our present school laws
providing State aid for teachers says:
| There shall be paid to the teachers
| employed IN the rural schools, the fol-
! lowing sums which shall be In addition
TO tho amount paid by the several towns,
etc. etc" How is this working out?
fvcry local school director ir every
town In the State Is to-day frying to
put this money In his towr pocket.
Teachers who got $40 TO SIC per week last
year and were engaged 60 teach this
year mt the same salary. expecting OF
course that they would benefit from this
state aid section of the new law to the
extent Of from two to four dollars per
| "e'"' are pclnS uepriNeu VI 'He peheht
OF this net and are expected to sign this
this illegal and unjust form OF contract
| ana the towns will pocket the money. It
seems to me our State board OF educa-
tion should prevent this state money be-
Ing diverted from it's intended use.
| We are getting new innovations with
out new improvements and at great
price, Do We need to give our board OF
education moro power to carry out the
plain intent OF this law?