The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1914-1938, 1918-04-18
DROP GERMAN
IN KENNEWICK
HIGH SCHOOL
Language of the Enemy Will
Not be Included in Course
@.F Next Year
BOARD HAS ITS TROUBLES
Only Two of This Years High School
Faculty will Remain-Higher
Salary Elsewhere


German will be dropped from the
Kennewick high school course next
year and Spanish will be substituted
therefor, action to this effect having
been taken at recent meeting of the
school board. The boards action is in
keeping with popular opinion and the
expressed wishes Of the students. Ger
man this year has proved very unpop-
ular with the pupils and there are only
three enrolled in the beginners class.
When the board took up the question
of electing next years teaching staff
they were confronted with one of the
most serious situations in the history
of the schools. Because of the districts
inability to pay increased salaries it
is going to be extremely difficult to
maintain the former standards of the
schools, especially the high school.
Kcnnewick has always employed only
experienced teachers Of high stand
ards. The present shortage of teach
ers makes it easily possible for these
teachers to secure positions elsewhere
at salaries not within reach Of the
local schools.
Of this years high school faculty,
Miss Opal Bonsall will go to Yakima
as a teacher of commercial subjects
at salary Of $1100. Miss Mary Nell
son resigned to accept higher salary
elsewhere. Miss Grace Day, English
teacher will go to Kellogg, Ida, at a
salary Of $1,000. ". v. Westgate, the
agricultural teacher, has resigned to
accept position in the federal bureau
of markets at salary Of $1,000. Miss
Shier, teacher of music and art, has
resigned and will give up her teaching
work; Miss Vera Bonsall, history
teacher, will rest year at her home
in Spokane, and Van Ashmun, of the
manual training department, left yes
terday for his home in Wisconsin, to
enter the U. S. Army. Miss Nellie
Tegland, who substituted in his work
at the beginning of the school year,
will come from Seattle to take his
work until the end of this school year.
This leaves of this years faculty
only Miss Morris, of the home econom-
les department, and Miss Grace Nit
chell, teacher of mathematics. The
election of teachers to replace those
who are resigning has not been made
and members of the board expect to
meet with considerable difficulty in Sc
curing teachers the equal in training
and experience of those who are leav-
ing.
In the grades all the present teach
ing staff were reelected with the ex-
'ception of Miss Jorgenson, who resign
ed to rest year at her home in Cali
fornia. 1t is very probable also that
several of the more experienced grade
teachers will take up work elsewhere.
In meeting the situation the MEM
bers of the board are fully aware that
larger salaries must be paid if the
standard of the schools is to be main
tanned but the finances Of the district
will not permit of any considerable in
crease in operating expenses. Inc
limit of 10 mills for school purposes
is now being levied in the district and
without special levy authorized by
vote of the people this limit cannot be
exceeded. For several years the as
sessed valuation of The district has
been decreasing while the school de-
'mands have been increasing. In many
instances the local district is. paying
the same salaries it did four or five
years ago, while the living expenses
OF the teachers have increased very
materially.
At the boards meeting the possibll-
lty of getting the local high school un-
der the Smith Hughes law for the fed
eral assistance to high schools teach
ing agriculture acceptabley to the fed
eral regulations, was discussed by
Supt. Lewis in the light of information
received during his trip to the Inland