Evening star., 1917-01-12
PLEAS HEARDF FOR
TEACHERS PENSION
Passage of the Pomerene Bill
Is Urged Before Senate
Subcommittee.
MEMBERS SHOW INTEREST

Strong pleas for enactment into law
of the Pomerene bill to retire and pen
sion public school teachers of the Dis
trict were made to a subcommittee OF
the Senate District committee at q
hearing today.
| The committee was asked to do all
in it's power to bring about the pas
sage of this bill before the close of the
present session of Congress. so that
the teachers may have the benefit OF
| the retirement plan at the close of the
present school year.
| 1t was evident from the questions
asked by members of the Senate COM
mittee that they favored a retirement
law for the school teachers, and IA
vorable action on the bill by the com
mittee is expected at an early date.
William T. Galliher, chairman of the
committee named by the board of edu-
cation, expressed his hearty approval
of the bill and urged its passage. and
then introduced the various speakers
to the committee.
Ernest L. Thurston. superintendent of
schools. told the committee that de-
mands for efficiency upon the scnool
teachers were heavy, and in addition
to their ability to teach, teachers must
have personality.
yet the teacher receives low pay
the country over" said Mr.. Thurston.
she has no time to earn more through
outside work. and it would reduce her
efficiency in the schools if she did.
The average salary of the pubic
school teacher in the District outside
of the high schools is 5000 year. The
average salary of the high schoo!
teacher Is $1,000. large number OF
upon them, and some of them. I know,
are carrying really heavy financial bur-
dens. They have to bear also the men
tai stress which the uncertainty OF the
future brings, and this tends to weaken
their efficiency.
"The adoption of this retirement plan
would tend to bring about Immediate
peace of mind. although the annu1t1es
to be paid are small"
Eighteen Hundred Teachers Here.
How many teachers are there In
the District schools - asked Senator
Kenyon.
Eighteen hundred" replied Mr..
Thurston. He said that the teachers
had shown a willingness to meet half
the expense of the retirement plan.
How long does the average teacher
serve?" Senator Kenyon asked.
About fifteen years." safd Mr.. Thurs
ton. Many, of course, serve longer"
Mr.. Thurston pointed out that thirty
three states now have laws for the
retirement and pensioning of school
teachers. and that interest in the mat
ter has increased greatly during the
twenty-one states Elm iawa proviAs
for contributions on the part Of the
teachers and the states to the pension
funds, in four states the teachers pro-
states the states provide the entire
fund.
Herbert D. Brown, chief of the ef-
ficiency bureau of the federal govern
ment. discussed details Of the Pomerene
bill and the statistics upon which 1t
was based.
The measure. he said. provides for
contributions on a percentage basis
from the salaries of the teachers, and
for contributions to the pension fund
by the District and federal govern
ments under the half-and half system
of IS for each year of service the
teacher has rendered.
Cost to District.
THE cost to the District and the fed
eral government for the first year the
law Is in operation will be S35,000,"
said Mr.. Brown. TT will increase
gradually up to s155. 1000, and then drop
off again until it becomes about Az
per cent of the salary roll at the end
of about fifty years
IF a teacher enters the school at age
twenty-one, and at the end of fifteen
years resigns from the service, what ef-
feet will this plan have upon her?' asked
Senator Dillingham; of Vermont
Mr.. Brown replied that the teacher
would have deducted from her salary 4
per cent each month, which would go
into the fund to accumulate at per
cent compound interest. If the teacher
retires or dies. the entire amount of her
savings would be paid either to her or
70 her heirs. The bill provides that in
no event shall the deductions from
the teachers salary be more than 8
per cent of the teachers basic salary.
Roughly speaking" said Senator
Hollis of New Hampshire, ''is not this
$3.50 proposition, the teachers put
ting up about half and the District
about half for these annuities?'
No said Mr.. Brown, the teachers
will put up about so per cent and the
District 40 per cent" re replied
Mr.. Brown said the plan of the present
bill was conservative in the matter of
contributions of the government to the
pension fund: that the government aid
given elsewhere was much heavier than
that proposed under this bill, and that
in some of the states and cities the
contribution asked of the teachers was
only / or 2 per cent of their salaries
Contributory Feature Opposed.
yyhan Nv prnwp concluded hi, ,+,+o