Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1917-02-28
BETTER TEACHERS
NEEDOF SCHOOLS
Mah0ney States Higher Paid Instruc-
tors Must BE Secured If Insti-
tiGus are TO Improve
SUGGESTIONS MADE N REPORT
superintendent in Annual Message
Calls Attention to Committees
Request for Increase.

IL. A. MahODey upeTintendent OF
schools in his annual report 10 The
Moline board of education. makes the
contention that better trained and
therefore higher saiaried teachers
must be secured to increase the eff
cheney o. the public schools.
Mr.. Mahoney i'll the report calls at
teutiou TO the fact that the commit
tee OF teachers, Of which r. S. Hos
ford lis chairman has recommended
to the board that revision in the
salary schedule be made whereby "A
premium Of $40 q month is placed upon
graduation from normal school in
the salary of new teachers.
while the maximum salary IS un-
changed states Mr. NahoneT, .the
trained teacher reaches the high
point two years earlier IT is unfor-
tunate that a higher schedule Of sal
aries is not possible because the sur
est and safest method of Improvement
is by securing strong teachers, and
this can only be done i'm competition
with other communities.
Under present conditions, MT Ma
honey asserts. Improvement must he
largely q development from within,
rather than bv additions from without,
and Improvement from within is most
surely obtained by the employment
OF well-5rained teachers. particularly
OF normal school graduates. In re-
gard to present conditions the Moline
superintendent SAYS
The distribution of school money is
q problem of grave import. especially
when she annual tax levy is barely
adequate to met the annual expenses
Of the system The school systems Of
most cities have developed faster than
The increase in property valuation has
provided adequate revenue.
The public school is becoming to-
be more and more the agency through
which TO extend an ver-iucreasinE
number OF Influences. The school Of
today is accepting many Of the Tespon-
zibiHties reserved 70 the home, and is
organizing many Of the influences Of
the community. The schools have 8c-
cepted the task Of teaching the spec
fal subjects Of music, drawing. phys
ieal culture etc. which We're. few
years ago. unknown except as taught
privately to the fortunate few who
could afford she expense Manual
training and industrial courses for the
boys. cooking and sewing classes for
the girls. have been aut recently added
II the schools.
Better buildings and better equip
meats prevail today. but the revenues
for aIt these improvements have jar
8 creased but slowly and must limit the
progress until our legislature provides
relief by a greater revenue
Condemns Extra YaEance.
Under such limitations the inn
provement must be largely develop
ment from within. rather than by adj
ditlons from without Under such linz
( itatlons the distribution of the money
should be guarded lest certain depart
mants he developed ar the expense Of
p. others. Searching scrutiny should
watch the cost OF all departments TO
avaid extravagant courses Of study
which minister TO comparatively few
+ Individuals
Improvement from within the
suparintendeut continues. must he
7 through employment Of well-trained
+. teachers and also by increasing the
/ efficiency OF teachers already in ser
vice.
$40 this end ne says the superin-
tendeut and supervising principals
should endeav0r TO develop each and
.every teacher to her greatest efiicieu
cr Two methods prevail for accom-
pIishlug This resuIt-the meetings oil
teachers and personal suggestions
Both schemes have been employed
this year