The copper era and Morenci leader., 1918-12-06
TEACHERS GET PAY THROUGH THE
 EPIDEMIC
Provision of the Law ContempIates That Districts Will Retain Status if Schools are Closed for Good and Sufficient Reasons.


 if Schools are Closed for Good and
 Sufficient Reasons.
 That the teachers of public schools in Arizona which have been closed epidemic of Spanish influenza should receive full pay, regardless of whether the schools were open or not, is the opinion of c. O. Case, state superin- that he also believes that the laws of the state provide for full payment of salaries, will be god news to many of the many teachers who have been seriously inconvenienced through the closing of the schools and non-pay- ment of salaries.
 With reference to the right of teachers to receive full pay for the time the schools are closed because of tn e epidemic, Superintendent Case makes the following statement:
 Should Have Full Pay
 Hard conditions occasioned by an unusual epidemic have closed, for an extended period, the public schools of Rrizona, and these conditions, over which teachers of this state have no coton,rl have suspended the services of teachers, at the same time holding them liable to resumption of service at any time.
 T feel in all justice to the teachers that their full salaries should be all lowed for the period during which the schools may be closed on account of the epidemic. It is also my opinion that, as amatter of law, unless other wise stipulated by contract, that no deduction can be made from teachers salaries during the time the schools may be closed on account of the epi- demic.
 q am aware that there is a tenden- cy on the part of school boardsin Ari- zona to deduct from the salaries of teachers because of the prevailing in- fluenza but, whether or not this ten deney prevails, I deem it my duty to state my views on the matter.
 Dr. J. w. Crabtree, secretary of the National Educational association, has written me advising that in no state have eachers' salaries been increased to keep pace with the increased cost of living, that it is exceedingly diffi- cult for them to make ends meet and that the national Educational associ- aion is advocating that teachers should suffer no reduction of salaries for the loss of time occasioned by the closing of schools or be required to SC their vacations to make up time.
 Fear Appropriation Loss
 Inquiries are coming in to my office regarding the eight months school term required by law, some districts being apprehensiv of losing 1 their next years appropriation of school moneys through a possible failure of maintaining the required term As far as possible, every school district in the state should maintain, even this year, an eight months term, but the law itself an ticipates and provides for even such {extreme abnormal conditions as are now prevailing. While paragraph 2S21, Revised Statutes of Arizona, 1913, prescribe that no apportionment of school moneys may be made to any school district in the state which has not maintained public school for at least seven months during the pre-, ceding school year, the same para graph protects school district in case of an epidemic by also prescrjb- ing that no district which psrevented by fire, flood or prevailing epidemic from maintaining the school for the length of time herein designated seven months, is nevertheless en titled to an apportionment of state and county school moneys.
 (Signed) "C. O. CASE"
 A