The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1918-04-25
Voters Of Chickasha to Be Asked to Sane
lion Additional -Four NiIl Levy
for Schools
ELECTION TO Be
HELD NEXT TUESDAY
Snpt. Ramey Points Out Reasons for a
"Yes" Ballot; Good Teachers
Command Good Salaries

On next Tuesday, April 80 Chick
asha will be asked to go to the polls
and settle by ballot whether it is the
desire of the people to pay the
school teachers of Chickasha more
money.
In speaking of the election today
Supt w F Ramey said: I'VE find
that we will need an additional levy
Of four mills with which to increase
the salaries of the Chickasha school
teachers. In all other branches Of
the school work, the old levy suf-
fices. We are asking for only four
mills, while many places 60 as high
as from nine to fifteen
There are reasons why the sal.
aries of the Chickasha school teach.
ers must be raised. The high cost
Of living is one reason. Salaries
that were adequate to meet the de-
mands of living in the past will not
cover the bare cost of maintenance
now, with commodities selling at
war prices,
another reason why we must
raise the salaries of the teachers is
that we must have good toaehers in
the schools of ChsEesbQ end IT,
have good teachers and keep them,
we must pay them good salaries. If
we do not pay them good salaries,
they will go to some school where
they will get the salaries that they
can command. The standards of the
Chickasha school system are high
and we must have good teachers to
maintain thhose standerds.. We
could get cheaper teachers, but they
would not compare with those we
must have to maintain the efficiency
OF the Chickasha school system.
Teachers are employed only nine
months in the year Many of them
are leaving the profession entirely
because they can get more money in
other lines, and because they can
find employment for 12 months in
the year. One cannot blame the
teachers for doing this. In many
cases, they are forced to leave the
profession for other lines in order
to earn, sufficient money to live com
fCrtably.
Without exception, schools are
the biggest asset to any community
or town. When town or city has
a corps of instructors really efficient,
supporting school system of high
standards, that town is pointed out
as a progressive commonwealth. II
the standards of the school system
are low the world knows it. Also
with poorly paid, inefficient teach
ing corps, tho children of a commu.
nifty are handicapped at the very
start of life.
q do not believe that there is
patron Of the Chickasha schools who
would want their child0en to attend
school taught by mediocre teach
ers. AS have said, to get and keep
an efficient corps of teachers. they
must have good salaries. | believe
the people realize this and therefore
l think they will go to the polls next
Tuesday and vote the additional four
mill levy.
Under the present scale. the
teachers in the ward schools receive
S65 per month for their first years
contract and $40 for their second
years connection with the schools.
We are asking for funds to raise
these salaries to SIS minimum and
$3.50 maximum. The teachers of
the Junior high school receive an
average salary of $50. We desire to
riase this figure to $92.5O. In the
high school, the average salary is
about $1,000 per year. Throughout
the increase we are asking amounts
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