The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1918-10-20

lrv one VINO Will stop TO consider
49, the average yearly salary of the
,.,,bers in the State of Florida for
-. war 1915, the latest available sta
W.: was 1865, will readily under
80 why there are a number OF
j '.sooIs in the State that cannot open
~ lack of teachers, and why num-
~ ~ schools are filled with more or
ICES unframed and incompetent teach
ers.
Nat onlv Is this condition alarming
,or fine present, but the outlook for
.5a future is even more serious. You
an hardly expect boys and girls OF
tbs State to prepare themselves to be-
come teachers with so little induce
r,ant in the way Of salary. Such
schedule Of salaries was hard and I'M
INST In the past. 1t is certainly i'm
nossibIe now. The teachers Of Flor
IA cannot live on what they receive,
md were it not for the fact that many
N them have generous relatives to
nrovids for them during their vacation,
thew would certainly become objects
NJ charity The wages Of almost every
other class has been materially in
ireased to meet the advanced cost of
living. and unless teachers salaries
can be increased there will be no
schools in Florida very long.
To keep trains moving, freight rates
and employees wages have been mate
rally advanced several times. To in
sure a supply Of food, prices for the
same have been fixed at attractive
standards and farm labor has been
given material advantages. In fact,
every line of trade and industry has
been encouraged. But what about
our public schools, the foundation
.of il all? Thousands of teachers have
left the profession in order to secure
better salaries, and small indeed is the
number who are preparing to become
teachers.
As the law now stands, the County
School Boards in each county may ask
for a levy Of seven mills. This is the
present constitutional limit. Whatever
this tax will produce on the property
assessment Of the county, is the
amount the School Board can eXpend
for the schools in that county. In
other words, the only way now to in
crease school funds, is through the
increase of property values. AS prop
erty values increase, school revenues
increase, but as matter Of fact, prop
erty values have not increased even in
the past in proportion to the demands
Of the schools. According to the State
superintendent report for the year
1916, the increase for the year 1916 in
school revenues was % per cent,
while the increase in school enroll
ment was So per cent. In other
words, the demands of the schools
and the need for more school funds in
creased in that Year three times as
much as the revenues to meet these
demands. And while there is a small
annual increase in property values, 1t
4 certain there will be but very
bnall increase during the present
',risis, as values are not going up Of
their own accord, and there is little
Tor no building or improvements: so
the only way to meet the situation and
meet it in time, is to increase the
school millage. The present maximum
is seven mills, and practically every
county in the state has been 1evying
this maximum for several years. If
the proposed amendment is adopted,
the maximum levy will be ten mills.
Some counties would not need to in
crease their milIage more than one
4LLll. anu SOIIlS COuHJlco WOu1u DCliIdpo
need three, but in order that any
county may have the right to increase
the millage, the amendment must be
ratified by the entire state, after
which it will be discretionary with
the school boards and the County
Commissioners Of the several counties
as to what increase will be made for
each particular year, as the levy is
determined annually.
The question then simply revolves
Itself into this: Do we want to keep
up the standard of our schools in
order that the present generation may
have the advantages thereof, or let
them down and our children suffer &C
cordingly2
We are living in the worlds most
stupendous hour. Almost with every
minute Fate is writing with one cruel
Stroke Fins" to many a brave mans
career. Thousands are giving their
lives freely that liberty may survive,
mat their children and our children
may have better world to live in.
How foolish, then, it would seem for
Us to allow our schools to go down !!
What sad disappointment it would
De to the boys in France to find up
on their return that. while they have
neen fgting for liberty, we at home
mad neglected to provide for the pub