Evening journal., 1918-06-17
School BOARD HEAD
answers council
Says Board Knows Needs
of Teachers Respecting
Salary Advance
CLASSIFICATION
PLAN DEFERRED

Defending the stand or the boId OF
Education In regard 10 teachers salaries
George B. Miller president OF that body
has sent the following letter TO the
Mayor and City Council:
To the Honorable Mayor and Council
Of Wilmington, Delaware
Gentlemen: Mr.. Robertson, in max
Ing his comments upon various items
in the budget, which was passed by
Council last Friday night, spoke Of hav-
ing sent to the Board OF Public Educa-
tion a memorandum Of Councils wishes
as TO the use OF part Of the money ap-
propriated for the Board OF Education
for increasing the salaries OF the teach
ers. He stated that he thought, as
the wishes OF Council had been re-
corded In black and white, that there
would be no opportunity for any mis-
understanding by Board OF Education
OF Councils wishes in the matter.
was SORRY that Mr.. Robertson felt II
necessary TO make such a statement as
an uncalled for lack Of confidence in
the Board Of Education was shown re-
garding the use OF the money they ap-
proprlated. although previous to the
passage OF the budget II had been made
perfectly clear 10 me what the desire
Of Council was.
III Will have 10 be admitted by
members Of Council that the Board
Of Education, with the professional
head Of the administration Of the
schools, our superintendent, must
know better than members Of Council
how the teachers salaries should be
increased. The arrangement for the
increase Of the salaries Of the teach
era, as handed 10 Mr.. Robertson was
made in strict accordance with our Clas-
sifcaton System. which would have
made il possible for us to increase the
salaries OF the lowest paid teachers
10 a point wheVe we could feel that
we could hold them. In your arrange
ment there will be about y teach
ers receiving the smallest salaries who
Will get considerably less money un-
der your plan Of increase than they
would under our arrangement. which
was made in accordance with our
classification System. This means
that there will be a large part Of
these teachers that we will not be able
20 mold because OF the fact that In the
lower counties OF the State they are
offering a. larger minimum salary than
we can offer and this is also the case
I'm regard 10 teachers whom we have
20 bring from outside the state. This
is a serious matter and II by the 10th
of September we ind ourselves so
shorthanded as TO our supply OF
teachers that we are unable TO open
up some Of the schools, we viii oi
course have 20 place the responsibility
where IL rlghtfully belongs, on your
body. It is readily seen that the par
ties 10 suffer in such an event are the
children for whom we Will be unable
10 provide proper educational facilities
sour plan for the classification OF
teachers is one or the very best things
in the professional administration OF
our schools. 70 furnishes an incentive
10 a teacner 20 improve her prepara-
tion for teaching In order that she
may get better classification and in
that way a better salary and at the
same time become a better teacher.
Many cities Of the United states have
adopted practically a similar classl-
ncatlon system since we started ours
several years ago. It is the intention
OF the Board Of Education to main
tain this classification system and the
increase in the teachers salaries
which will be given for tho eneuing
wear through your willingness to ap-
propriate additional money for the
purpose. will have TO be given as a
specisl increase with which they can
meet the abnormally high cost OF liv-
ing al the present time.
Il am sorry that your body could
not. at the same time that you were
considering the matter Of high living
conditions, also take into considera-
tion the fact that the teachers
OF the public schools Of this city are
rtceiving much lower salaries than are
paid teachers in the majority Of cities
ihrouehout the United states and that
Won might have had sufficient confidence
in the Board OF Education Of this city
TO have allowed us TO pay this money
10 the teachers in accordance with our
classification Pan so that the salaries
would have been properly Increased In
accordance with our system, so that
the teachers would have appreciated the
fact that we increased their salaries
also because we felt that they de-
served higher pay.
,srrba AZ vou NAV understand the posi-