The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-03-03
NO MONEY LEFT FOR
TEACHERS PENSIONS
School Leaders Discuss Bill 70
Cut Permanent Fund to
100000.
SPLIT ON SMALL BOARD

ALBANY. March 2-wiIliam q. WI.
cox Of the New York city Board OF Edl.
cation at a hearing before thA Assembly
Cities Committee to-day asserted ina,
tho teachers pension fund Of the CITY /.
bankrupt. He said that this condition
was the reason for the introduction OF a
bill permitting the city authorities 10
use $500. 900 OF the permanent fund N
$500, 900 for paying pensions to teachers.
thus reducing the permanent fund 10
$500. 900.
Committeeman questioned Mr.. Will.
cox, and he said that next year ne well
rs this year the city would require
about 81, 90 900 for pensions. and prob.
ably would he s300.O 900 short If tina,
amount again IL taken from tho per.
1nanent II there will remain but
5000 ,00o. and hat tho year after that
the permanent pension FUND would be
wiped out and there would be nothing
for the teacher now contributing I rer
cent Of their salaries to the retiremon,
fund.
As q remedy for this situation Ms.
Grace &. Strachan. president Of the Inter
borough Teachers Association, has had
prepared a bill increasing the contr.bu-
tons by the teachers. turning back IN
the city treasury the money in the per.
manent retirement fund and striking
ont Of the law the provision that : per
cent. OF the excise tax moneys received
by the city shall 20 to the retirement
fund, Under the proposed law tho
Board OF Estimate would have to make
up deficiencies for pension payments IN
the regular city budget.
Teachers at ODD. on BfI.
The teachers offered diverging vews
on the Ellenbogen bill reducing the per-
manent FUND from $4,000 to $500. 900
Miss Strachan favored II. She said she
knew Of one teacher who had been thirty
eight years In the schools who could not
be retired because OF the lack OF funds.
Frederick 2. Lewis. chairman OF the
central pension committee. opposed the
bill, declaring that il meant the end OF
the pension fund, He asserted that the
Board OF Education had spent for other
purposes about $4,000. 900 Of funds
fund
Frederick C. Mari reported $500
Brooklyn teachers against the bill.
Miss Isabelle Ennis opposed the bill. de-
claring that President Emeritus Thomas
Hunter OF the New York Normal School
had received about $40, 900 in pensions
although he had contributed $40 20 the
fund and she wanted the teachers who
pay most into the FUND to receive tho
beneft
The Brennan bill cutting down the
number OF thu New York city Board Of
Education from forty-six to nine mem
hers showed that the board itself is split
on the proposition. Those opposed to
the big board declared that the minds
OF forty-stx men never will meet on a
problem, hat the board Is too an
wieldy that the board meetings are too
stormy and that there is no coordination
in the work OF the present board.
VILE for small hoard.
Dr lanes 8. Vile Of the board de.
clared that half OF the members favored
tho reduction TO n!ne members, saying
that two or three men practically control
tho board now.
Others who favored the change wer-
Or. Leonard = Ayres OF the Sage
Foundation. william q. Wilcox OF the
Board OF Education, Charles 7. Howard.
president Of the Public Education Asso-
citation OF New York. and Howard
Nudd, director Of the Public Education
Association.
Those who spoke in opposition were
President Churchill. Gen G. w. Win
gate, ware Na0f'll OF the Men Ply
cipnls Association. Grace c. Strachan.
MaEnus Gross of tho New YORK
Teachers Association. Isabelle Ennis Of
the Class Teachers Association, and
Ernest r. Craniall OF the Evening High
School Teachers Association.
President Churchill cautioned ~.
committee 20 remember that ~ dealing
with no educational system % the r.'y
they were dealing with a sacred th.re
IF YOU vote 10 throw out OF o''''s
forty-six trained men. TO he replaced ~
nine TO be picked by accident by 'ur
Mayor, who Is no clairvoyaut, you ar.
a pretty ruthless bunch" said Mr.
Churchill
Mr.. Mandell drew applause when o..
urged u larger board instead Of a
smaller one, declaring
I'VE don't want men like Seth Low or
Samuel Warburg or women like Mrs
Lillian q. Wald, or others from the Muir.
ray H!l district TO run our school sys-
tenn, What We do want are men rearcr
HelVs kitchen, men nearer the Eas'
side, and men who know what the peo-
pie need, what the aspirations Of the
poor are
n committee will consider the oJ's
next weet.