The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1917-12-12
TEACHERS ASK FOR
INCREASED SALARY
Ask Continuance of Present Bonus
Until End Of School Year, With
General Revision Then.
AVERAGE SALARY rs ssi7
SIvc Eleven Reasons Why They Think
Their Petition Is acknowledgement
cd Increase Averages About Fifteen
per cent


many OF the larger cities of the coun-
Try the teachers of Richmond are
ssking for an increase in next years
s@'ary, In addition to requesting tina.
the present bonus be continued for
.he remainder OF the year. Accord
ing 70 the statistics compiled by this
Investigation Of seventy FIVE cities.
hicnmond stands seventy third on the
usI The present bonus arrangement
expires February !. The teachers wish
continued through the school year.
with general revision at the begin
ains OF the next school year.
by careful tests and scales of
measurement Il IL stated that Rich
mond choois are doing work equal to
the best found In any Of the city sys-
TENS Investigated. The present scale
OF wares for the local teachers 10 the
same ~ when ess biished nvs years
ago. regardless of the increased cost
OF preparation for teaching, the high
er cost Of living. and the advent OF
many new factors and problems into
the system.
The school board has been handi-
capped in meeting thess increases
with equitable salaries bcca use of the
lack OF funds, and now the teachers
nave started movement whereby
thsy will assist tie board in It's at
eempt to pay salaries on par VIII
That of the other cities maintaining
similar educational benefits.
Eleven Reasons for Increase.
Eleven reasons why they are asking
TOT an Increase. as seen by tho petit
TONERS are here given:
i. Tho present scale so far as
shere In scale. was established fve
4 years ago.
schools. open air, vocational, and spe-
ctai classes has introduced new fac
tors and new problems in regard 10
the regular. scale, and the school
beard has done its best TO make these
adjustments fair and equitable but
has lacked funds to take care Of
these and the peculiar classes OF teach
era at the same Tina
2. The schools have made wonder
ful strides both In scope OF work and
In efficiency. in that time.
8. The Increased cost OF prepare
tion To teach snd If keeping in touch,
with the best methods of teaching Is
an important item in the necessary
expenses Of every teacher
4 The increa sed cost OF living Is
too patent TO admit or argument.
D. f4s tests Win scales OIL measure
ment used in other cities. the Rich
mond schools are among the best I'm
teh cities Of the United States. cities
muoA larger than Richmond not ex-
cepted.
g. A careful comparison OF Rich
rlond salaries with those paid In
other cities doing the same class of
work shows that the Richmond satar-
les are lower in every department
-. a
Fixed minimum and maximum In each
department and a scale Of annual in
erase from minimum 20 maximuml
are less than maximum in the cities
OF our class and slightly above the
average
S. This classification is accordin@
to the L. s statistical report the
latest avaliah rerort. There are
. gortv-six cities I'm this class, 100 600
TO 500 600 population. THIS report
places Richmond NTH IN wealth, hut
te~''ebh in total expenditure tes-
schools
:. Rtchmond r'ves u Per cent ~
her total expenditures for schools 20
feh paw voll-6s per cent average tn
teh other cities; hut R'chmond'e OK
pendtture FOR schools is q per cent
o total expenditure, while that Of the
other cities is IS Per cent
4 u
| liberal In its fund for ~ehol huildin~a,
but so have some of the other cities
studied: and school buildings do not
constitute schools any more than
fne CApitol building makes dcsif
able state government.
II. II education 90 the children is
teh chief business Of any community,
Justice demands that 3. fair rer1unera
ton be given those to whom this
~ f1 drsyf. - fhsa
state In entrusted
The following are among the cities
in which salaries have been @t1d''>',
Cambridge. Worcester. ard lowell
| Mass: Providence. r. I Eoch "ster.
| Svrs cuse Allow. and t+fi"a ".
Jersey City Patterson. and Trenton.
". j.: Scranton Pa: Baltimore. Al
,arta Me-1nhis, louisville. Indiana
noli.. st. Paul. N'nnea nolts. N'iwau-
wee Grand Rangds. Denver. Duluth
Kansas CITY Kansas. Salt Lake Titv,
Portland. OREGON: spokane, Seattle.
Oakland. perklev Los Angeles. Pasa-
de~s houston. New Orleans. and San ,
A. -
fhe Increase asked averages about
* - +he s-eariv salary. The +
annual average SALARY ~ the Rich
raond teacher Is SSH. while mat OF
r~rerate country at large ~ in e~- /
|
wei over $4,000.
The following scale of increase has |
been submitted:
| Flementarv and kindergarte1 teach |
kars receiving from $3.50 10 1920. ask |
from 5a5 minimum to $1,000 maxi |
ynun. Junior hieh school. receiving |
gror sf7n to 81 goo ask from $500 !
IA Al 400 senior hitch school. receiv- /
| inc from sT2n To st9no, ask $500 to (!
~ 500: snec'al receiving ssa5 10 ST.
enn asp snn to 81 $40: high school /
principals. receiving $4,000 TO $4,000. /
asl, ~ con TO $4,000 elementary nrtn- /
ni,.aYs ~e~etvir'c from 81 On to 81 0nn, +
-, q, -nh ~ 80 ZOO a~~'stant nriNcis (
Al. r.cefvtng from sa0h ~ 81 400 !
-, ,rov, s. 100 to q son s~f-Ncl +
,,,-sex rerasvtrr fron, SEQ 10 $50, +
al from sT2o 70 $1,000