New-York tribune., 1918-05-31
Teachers Paid Less
Than Other Classes
Of City Employees
1850 Receive Less Than
$1,000 a Year, Official
Report Says
Table of Comparisons
Nine Years Service Required
to Equal Assistant Dump
Inspectors Salary

That more school teachers than any
other class of municipal employees are
being paid less than $1,000 year is
brought out strikingly in statement
issued by the secretary of the Board
of Estimate and Apportionment.
Replying to request from James
R. Ferguson, chairman of the commit
tee on salaries and offices Of the
Board of Aldermen, Joseph Haag COM
piled statement showing how many
city employees over twenty-one years
of age were receiving less than $1,000
year.
There are 1920 teachers in the city's
public schools whose annual salary is
less than $1,000 annually. About one
third of the teaching staff has not at
tained that figure on the salary sched-
ules. This is exclusive of the clerical
staff of the Board Of Education, which
comprises 419 employees receiving less
than $1,000.
The Board of Estimate finds that ST.
$3.50 would be required to establish
a $1,000 minimum salary for teachers.
How City Departments Stand
The following figures are taken from
the list furnished by the secretary OF
the Board of Estimate and Apportion
ment, as published in "The City Record"
of May %. The city departments hav-
ing more than 1000 employees receiv-
ing less than $1,000 annually are ar
ranged in order of number of employees
in this class, as follows, the Board of
Education figures including teachers
only:
Education .:.................... 1929
Street Cleaning ..............'...... PLY PLY
Water. Gas. Electricity. .............. 1,277
Borough President, Manhattan. 1907
Borough President, Queens. ......... 1,024
Of these the Street Cleaning De.
employees under the $1,000 annual sal
ary, which is only natural, as the
great majority Of street sweepers re-
ceive $3.50. $40 less than an ele-
mentary school teacher receives for
her first three years of teaching.
But as compared with the 33 per
cent of teachers who come within the
sub-$1, 200 class it is interesting to
note that in the Fire Department only
ID per cent. receive less than $1,000
annually and in the Police Depart
ment only 13 per cent.
Better Start as Stableman.
After twelve weeks of training pa
trolman receives $1,000 annually for
the first three years. After from four
to six years of training school
teacher receives $500 annually for the
first three years.
On attaining the fourth year of ser
vice q fireman is paid S1,500. After four
years Of service an elementary school
teacher is paid either 5000 or $94O an
nually.
A bright young man about to en-
bark on career may hesitate between
going to work as stableman for the
Street Cleaning Department at 1858 an
nually or working three years for the
Board of Education to attain that sal
ary as a teacher. It will be to his
financial advantage to go to work as
a stableman if he is bright young
! man.
An assistant dump inspector is paid
81 ,08O a year, figure school teacher
may attain in his ninth year of service
An assistant stable foreman goes
down in the city's budget for ST. lao
annually, which is just what an ele-
mentary school teacher is allowed in
his tenth year Of service under the ex-
listing salary schedules of the Board
of Education.