The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-07-30
HOLD UP PAY OF
INSTRUCTORS IN
STATE SCHOOLS
They VIII Not Get Full Salaries
for Two Years.
Brewster Holds Present Pay
ment Plan Is Illegal.
KNApp EnII nus HIH EnVIGF
KNAPP FOLLOWS HIS ADVICE
h. Z. and II. s. A. c. Instructors
Affected by Ruling.
Normal School Teachers Also
May Suffer Hardship.

Professors and instructors in the
state university. Lawrence. and state
agricultural college, Manhattan, must
wait nearly two years for portion
of the 1917 salary checks. under
ruling today by Fred w. Knapp state
auditor. Knapp's announcement IS
backed by an opinion from ). NJ
Brewster, attorney general, who nolds
that the present system of paying the
instructors is Illegal.
Every instructor in the two Dig
state schools-maybe in all OF the
state schools-must await action py
the 1919 legislature before collectlhS
their July and August pay checks.
The action in holding up the saldry
checks of college instructors is the
c1IIrnination of a lengthy controversy
between Auditor Knapp and the state
board of administration concerhlns
the method of paying college lnstruc
tors. In seeking to provide IlIss
class explanation of the salary anu
fee system at the state university, the
state board and Chancellor Frank
Storing inadvertently revealed pay
system which the attorney general
holds Illegal.
Paid on Twelve Months Basis.
All instructors at the State univer-
sity and the State Agricultural cohege
are paid on the twelve month OASIS
The contract for school service is LOT
nine months work This work begins
in September and ends June Inc
state appropriations are for the 1lscaI
year ending June 80. Under the law
money earned during one flScal year
cannot be paid from funds approprl-
ated for the successive fiscal year
Hence when the July and August pay
checks have been issued, the college
instructors have been paid for services
rendered during the previous fiscal
year. 1t is an Illegal procedure Cen
oral Brewster held in ruling sent to
Auditor Knapp today. And as con-
sequence the state auditor has refused
to issue the July and August warrants
for all persons employed under this
system.
whether instructors in schooI5 9TH
er than the State university and Ag-
ricultural college are affected by the
ruling is not known at this time. Au-
ditor Knapp has asked the state uoard
of administration for a ruling concern
ing the status of all contracts. If the
instructors in the normal schools are
employed for nine months and paid in
twelve monthly installments, they
must also postpone their vacations or
draw on reserve savings accounts.
Knapp Has Big Task.
Il can't tell thing about it until
1 get further information from the
state board, said Knapp No one
can understand the system of paying
these college men and l have been
working six months to straighten it
out 1 didn't have the slightest idea
the twelve months payment plan was
in vogue until it was explained to
me as an excuse for the seemingly
loose system of paying these men and
women. The method is Illegal and the
persons must go before the next legis-
lature with a deficiency appropria-
ton bill to get their money. There is
no way to pay these instructors for
last years services under appropria
tions for the new fiscal year"
The explanation of the payment sys-
tenn was made in a defense Of the
vouchers presented by DR.. Raymond
A. Schwegler, an instructor at Kansas
university. Chancellor Frank Strong
and the state board explained that
DR.. Schwegler and others were EN-
ployed by the year in order TO retain
their services. They also stated that
their work was handled in a nine
months period, altho the pay checks
were in twelve monthly instaIlments
Auditor Knapp's action today may
mean revolt by state school instruc-
tors, who can seemingly find no relief
from the present system or collect
their unpaid salaries without an act
of the legislature