Baraboo weekly news. [volume] (Baraboo, Wis.) 1912-197?, 1919-11-13
PLAN TO
LODI TEACHERS

There is one place in Wisconsin
where a bonus" will be paid.
Lodi will award a SIC month
premium to its teachers
But even there it has been ques
toned Not by the donors. but in this,
case by those who will receive it.
Shortly after the opening of the
school year in Lodi, the board of ed
ucation received petition by all but
three of the 10 city school teachers
asking for twenty percent increase
on their salaries, declaring that the
High Cost of Living made it impos-
sible for them to continue teaching
on the contracted rate of pay. The
school board paid no attention to
the petition. Several weeks later
they received letter from the teach
ers demanding definite answer i'm
mediately.
Bonus is Answer
The $40 month bonus was the
answer to their demand. But not for
all the teachers. Only those who had
taught in Lodi at least one year would
receive the award. This decision, in
other words refused the demands OF
about half of the teachers who signed
the resolution. These teachers were
all "first year" instructors.
Seven designations were received
Immediately by the board of educa-
ton. The town was all excitement
School children talked bonus, raises.
high cost of living" with ease and
glibness. The neighboring communi-
ties that send their children to Lodi,s
schools buzzed with the threatened
teachers revolt"
The board turned down the resigna-
tions, refused to accept them. There
upon three teachers, two women and
one man, quit, left their classes-and
the city.
Nothing daunted, the board i'm
mediately procured two teachers who
were residing in the city and con-
tinued the classes. The deserted
manual training class which had been
conducted by John McArdle was con-
tinued temporarily while heroic eff
forts were instituted to engage some
one in his place.
Teachers Dissatisfied
But the teachers who did get the
bonus disclaimed satisfaction in the
award of the board of education. 1t
was conductive to "hard feelings"
among themselves they alleged. And
then their fellow workers, they felt,
should have been given some consid-
GRAFTON.
This attitude also was taken by the
mayor, B. F, Posta. Mr. Posta, an ex-
railroad man and at present proprietor
of Lodi's pure food emporium, has
been mayor Of the town several years.
He has six year ora daughter who
is q pupil in the first grade.
AT first I wasn't much interested
in the affair."" Mayor Posta declared,
but upon receipt of the second let.
ter from the teachers | saw they
meant business. And then my little
girl told her mother that the teach
NA0 WIZ Oil rAi6iy dAu IuO
had cried because they were afraid
they were going to lose them.
eyes, the kids were all ready to
graduate. If the teachers left they
were going to quit school. Miss
Gretchen Kreuger, our first grade in
structor and my little girls teacher
is very much liked by the children.
They all love her. And so, when I
heard that we might lose her, why r
got busy. | talked to the school
board and suggested they offer a
bonus.
Not Quite Right
"They offered bonus all right, but
they didn't do it quite right. / be-
lieve that while those teachers who
taught here before should have re-
ceived a little more consideration
than the new ones, still the others
should have received at least SIS a
month more. You know teaching is
pretty hard. Here we only have
one child and we have our hands
full. And just think of having 35
like her. Believe me, it is no snap
Madison Journal
Other statements were given by
school officers and teachers.