Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1915-03-02
NEW LAW MAY GUST
ALL LADY TEACHERS
Where Salaries Are Same
Preference Has Been
Given to Men

most fascinating charms into play dur.
ing the legislature and successfully lob
bed Senate Bill 1877 through the house
and had it spread upon the statutes of
the state, that it might some day oper-
ate as boomerang and put her out of
the running almost completely so far
as her services on the school teaching
start Of the state is concerned. Yet
tins is exactly what experienced edu-
Gators declare similar laws have done
IN other states where they have been
put into effect and in certain cities
Of Oregon where the same rule has
been adopted by school boards less than
decade ago.
Senate Bill 1877 provides, in sub
stance, that, all other things being
belng equal, female teachers in the
public schools shall receive the same
salaries as the males. Records over the
state show that male teachers receive
an average of from $40 to 500 per
month more in salaries than do the
Iemares and it was for the purpose of
legislating themselves upon substan-
tial equality with the male teachers
that the lady teachers caused the bill
TO be introduced in the Oregon lepis.
lature and themselves lobbied il
through the house after it had passed
the senate. They had some fierce lob.
Dying to do, too, because the same or
similar bill had been indefinitely
postponed in the house Just the week
pefore on the ground that it was un-
constitutional because it interfered
with the school boards right of con.
tract.
An imminent authority upon school
matters in the state made the state.
ment last evening that it was his opin.
ION that in the course of a yerv few
years if the law is permitted to re-.
man upon the statutes, that it will
make serious inroads in the number of
female school teachers in the state.
especially in the high schools, and that
they will gradually be replaced by
male teachers. This same "authoritv ),
ought to know for he was for several
years superintendent of schools in a
city where the system was nut into
effect, through the adoption Of a rule
oy the board of directors and, in less
female teachers on the high school
staff was reduced from s in 10 to 4
IN l3. He declares that, in cases of
salary and all other things being epual
school boards, as a rule, will take the
male teacher in the high schools in
preference to the female. He predicts
that the same conditions will prevail
throughout tn high school system OF
the state within very few years if the
law is retained.
In Salem whore no open discrimina
ton has ever been made, at least dur
ing the past seven or eight years. a,
between male and female teachers up
ON tlfe salary question it is neverthe
less true that there have been instance,
of where vacancy was to be filled II
the teaching staff of the high school o,
IN the higher grades of the grad,
schools and applications have been pre
sented from both male and Temal,
teachers that the female was given tb,
position solely because she could be oh
tanned at from $40 to 800 per montl
cheaper than the male teacher.
While it is true that the princinle,
Of the Salem schools, male or female
are paid upon the basis Of the size OF
the school, the number Of pupils unde,
their control, etc, regardless of sex. i
IS also true that there are male teach
ers on the payroll who are receiving n,
nigh salaries as any of the femal,
teachers and in some instances th,
male teacher has not had the experienc,
TO his credit by several years as com
pared TO the female teacher receivin,
the same salary.
One member of the Salem schoo
board thinks it is very foolish law il
many particulars and absolutely use
less and he regards 1t as direct in
suit to the boards of school director
generally because Of its implied nc
cnsation Of partiality on the part o
the boards, which he declares, is un
Just. 1t is also pointed out that Il /
the exception, rather than the rule
that female teachers are specialists II
certain subjects taught in the publ
schools and very seldom are capable O
adapting themselves to side work, sucl
as music, domestic science, etc, where
as, in the case of the male teacher /
is usually the opposite, for he Is no
only trained for instruction in English
manual training, commercial work, etc
but he Is capable Of taking charge o
a class in athletics or something Of tn
sort and this ability to make himsel
useful to the school in more ways thai
one usually commands from $40 to $2
more per month In salary.
. "Under present conditions the NAL
teacher Is making rapid inroads upoI
the public school system Of the stat
and, If the salary scale is made caua
regardless of sex the situation will be
come even more serious for the femal
teacher and she will be compelled L
offer her services at a lesser salar,
than the male teacher in order TO secur
employment said a prominent schoo
authority. In making this assertion
however, he made It clear that In n,
case did he consider the services o
the male teacher more valuable thai
the female "for there are some OK
ceptonally capable and indispensable
lady teachers in the school system o
the stato', but he declared that Il wa
a. i d. Al