The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1918-11-09
School Board Declines to Make
Advances Covering Time
Schools Closed.
SCHOOL BOOKS TO
ARRIVE MONDAY
Agent of Book Concern Gives
Assurance That Shortage
Will Be Corrected.
=, As& |

Once more the question of payment
of the salaries of Escambia County
teachers came before the board of
public instruction at their meeting
last night. and again it was carried
over until another meeting.
Miss Evelyn Thornton and Miss
Ethel Suter, representing the city
teachers. waited upon the board to
present their claims, but after a short
discussion, left the meeting. The mat
ter was not dropped, however, but
was thoroughly discussed from every
angle, with no decision having been
reached at the close of the meeting.
A wire was read from the State
Superintendent Of Public Instruction,
in which he said that leach board had
authority to use it's own discretion in
the matter" and it was stated that the
counties of Duval, Hillsboro and Pinel-
las had already paid their teachers for
the time lost, and that these counties
were. governed by the same laws as
govern Eseambia.
Mr.. Levy said that he felt that some
arrangement should be made to pay
the teachers.
He said he felt that the teachers of
the county had been kept waiting long
enough. That many of them were
largely dependent upon their salaries,
THAT some had come to Florida from
other states and had to pay board, and
that those Who we're not paying board
had other expenses, which, coming
after a four months vacation, made 1T
necessary for them to have the money.
He said that he believed that the in
structions from the state superintend
ent that the board might use its own
discretion fully covered the case, and
that he was heartily in favor OF pay
ing the teachers for the month OF ell
forced suspension OF school, which
was no fault of theirs. At the sugges
ton that some of the teachers might
fail to complete the term, Mr.. Levey
called attention to the fact that at a
meeting of the teachers they had
agreed that if for any cause any teaoh-
er failed to make up the time, the
Teachers Association would reim-
burse the board. 1t was pointed out
that in Duval county the teachers had
not been even required to make up
the lost time.
w. B. Wright read letter received
from Judge J. B. Carter, attorney for
the board, which was as follows:
Replying to your request this aft.
ernoon:
Section 1884, general statutes, re-
quires that a teachers report must be
filed with the superintendent before "A
warrant can be drawn for all or any
part OF the service OF teaching, and
the report shall include twenty days
Of actual teaching. and including holi-
days
I'm view Of this provision I am OF
| the opinion that a teachers salary
| cannot lawfully be paid in advance,
nor until the report is fled and the
teachers cannot he paid semi-monthly,
| as the statutes require monthly re-
ports, only"
The teachers are insistent upon re-
ceiving the salaries for last month
| and it is probable that they will take
action in the matter today.
A communication was read from j..
w. Cooper, representative Of the Flor
ida Schol Book Depository, who stat
ed that plenty of text books would be
on hand on Monday morning. Mr..
| Cooper said that the shortage was
| caused through no fault Of the coun-
! ty superintendent or the board.
| He said that, after verbal agree
ment with the local agency. when the
| Continued on page two