The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1919-02-11
The Increase in the School
Rudoet

ampton township will be held at Il
court house at 7.30 o'clock to night,
! vote upon the school appropriation
for the coming school year. The SUI
asked is $50, $50, made up as follow
Repairs, $4,000; current expenses, $2e
900; manual training, ST.
The amount asked is 50, $50 mo-
than last year. The reasons for tn
increase are clearly set forth in the TO
lowing circular letter from the Con
missioner of Education, addressed t
the local board of education:
As you are preparing your bulge
for submission to the voters at a spec
ial meeting, | deem it my duty to ad
dress this letter to you, and through
you to the voters.
: l. 1t is absolutely necessary thai
your district make generous provision
LOT salaries OF teachers for the year be
| ginning next september There is a
present and there is likely to be, 6
scarcity of qualified teachers. This
TACT Is well known. This Office receives
complaints from various parts of the
state that some schools are not open
because teachers cannot be procured.
One reason for the scarcity OF
teachers is that so many women have
gone into office positions of all kinds,
the salaries in which are higher than
in the schools.
More than 10000 women are EN-
ployed in clerical positions i'll the
national railroad service. Large num-
bers of these women wouldtrain them
selves to become teachers if the salar-
les were better in public school work.
| am told that one banking concern in
New York employs over 500 women at
good salaries.
Our State Normal Schools have 173
fewer students this year than they had
last year, showing that fewer gradu-
ates of the high schools are attending
the normal schools. A decrease in the
number of students entering our nor
NAL schools has never before been
known. Fewer candidates are enter
ing our examinations for teachers Ger.
tificates than before.
One woman's college from which we
receive many teachers for our high
schools reports that a year ago there
were 80 young women in the senior
class who intended to teach school,
this year the same institution reports
but 10.
These are serious facts. They viii
lead, unless remedied, to a condition
where many more schools will be I'M
taught than at present.
l am confident that Mount Holly
people, when these facts are put before
them, will be ready to vote additional
money for the operation of their schools
and for the education of their children.
The fact is that we must change our
former attitude about teachers salar-
les and pay much larger salaries than
we have been in the habit of paying.
II we do not do this, young women
will seek other fields of employment
than teaching school. In fact as stat
ed above, they are doing so already.
The average salary paid to all day
teachers IN the state for the year end
ing June 80, 1918, was $948 30, an in
crease over the preceding year of $3.50
Many boards of education made sub.
stantial increases in salaries for the
present school year. All honor to such
boards and districts. On the other
hand, many districts did not do so we'll
and the schools-that is, the children
we're the losers.
The average salary in our 700 small
schools was $544.22. When we think
Of the cost of living at present it is
hard to see how young women can
support themselves on such meagre
salaries. In fact they cannot and live
As teachers ought to live.
If member of the board of educa-
ion n t,1lr !, Ia
him publicly say that he will allow his
wife only $544 year for all living ex-
1enses, including board, lodging,
clothes and all other expenses.
There were last year 486 teachers in
he state who received a salary of less
han $500 a year. This was 486 too
many.
The average salary of a teacher has
increased about Is per cent in five
Years. The increase in the cost of liv- |
ng has been more than 60 per cent. !
This one fact tells the story as to why |
here is scarcity of teachers. Con
ldering the purchasing power OF a |
iollar, the plain, cold, startling fact is
hat the average teacher did not re-
GIVE as much money for her years |
work, ending June 1918, as she receiv-
ID in 1913
A new duty confronts boards of edu- |
'ation, and that duty is to make every |
'ifort to convince taxpayers that if the |
chools are to be well taught we cannot |
ret teachers at the salaries we have
'een paying.
2. | regard it as vitality important |
or the welfare of children that schools |
,e consolidated wherever practicable |
n some districts we could get along |
With fewer teachers if the schools were |
3. Sufficient supplies, apparatus,
seal work, with which the |
eachers may work, should be provid- |
ID and should be delivered to the |
chools before they open next Septem- |
Der. Teachers cannot be expected to |
10 good work with the children if such |
supplies are not furnished. Adequate |
are as necessary in schools as |
adequate tools are necessary for work |
IN farms or in machine shops
4. | regret to say there are still |
many outbuildings and closets that are |
n bad condition. This should not be |
rue OF single school. Will you not |
Lsk the voters for sufficient money to |
epair these closets wherever necessary |
Turing the coming summer and make |
hem decent and tidy for the children? |
every closet should be in good con
lition-in such condition that you
would be willing that your own daugh-
er or son should use them.
5. Repairs to school buildings have,
Turing the war, been less than usual.
Now that the war is over, let us make
What repairs are necessary. 1t is poor !
economy not to keep school buildings |;
n good repair We also have too
many old-fashioned double seats, many
# which are either too large or too |
mall for the children. Such desks |
hould be replaced by new single desks. |
suggest investigation of the movable
hair desk.
These five things-salaries of teach
rs, consolidation of schools if practi
able in your district, adequate sup
lilies, repair of school buildings, new |
where needed, and decent |
be provided for at your |
pecial meeting.
| speak of these things wholly in |
he interest of the children.
Respectfully,
G. N. Kendall,
Commissioner of Education. |