Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1919-12-18
VERMONT HAS BIG
EDUCATIONAL PROBLEM
Must Keep Up Her Supply of
Teachers and Pay Til m
Enough So They Can Live
Properly, Says Commissioner
Hillegas, Here for Conference

.A'iN eh.'S hsS'S bOf
Vermont must take upon herself the re-
sporsibility Of Keeping up her supply OF
teachers. a supply which is fast diminish
ing throughout the country, and the re-
sponsibility Of paying her teachers enough
so that they can live properly and under
as good conditions as teachers in other
states are living. according 70 Commits
sioncr NJ. 3. IIilegas of the state board
of educations who arrived in the city
Tuesday evening in preparation for the
meeting Of the state board Of education
yesterday and the state meeting Of the
school directors and superntendents to-
day.
James HARNESS chairman Of the state
board of education. will preside a. the
meeting to-day, and will have some-
thing to say to the school directors. No
formal program has been arranged, as
the meeting Is in the nature If general
conference, in which each community will
have the opportunity to present its PROC
lens and talk them over with men from
other communities. II is expected that
john NJ. Thomas, president Of Middebury
College. will be present and address the
meeting, if he can get here from WASH
ington where he was called in an official
capacity as head of the American Legion
for Vermont, His message will he one OF
peculiar interest TO the schools Of the
country in the present age
According to the probable plans of the
conference. the session Of which will be
held in the auditorium of the Burlins-
ton high school. there will be an after
noon meeting at which the matter Of
teachers salaries will be discussed, while
the evening session will take up the mat
ter of supplying u sufficient number OF
teachers for the state during The COM
ing year.
In every State in the tnion there ia
a very serious situation existing with
reference to the supply of teachers"
aid Or Hiliegas to q Free Press re-
porter Tuesday evening. 1t is estimated
that some 5000 schools throughout he
United States were without teacher: last
September and some 10000 teachers were
employed who were without the proper
| amount of education and very little
special preparation"
! DR.. lIillegss declared that large mum
Der Of rural schools are suffering from
the lack Of proper facilities and that
| every Statc in the Union is putting forth
| every effort TO solve tho question Of
| teachers supply In order to do this
| pTdE al OF ne restrictions WnlCn
| formerly existed in the transferring OF
| teachers from one State to another have
| been swept away. So that Vermont rural
school teachers, without special training.
hut with successful teaching records.
have been accepted in other States dur
| ing The last year or without any Of
| the rigorous educational tests which wero
| formerly required.
! In various places throughout, the coun-
try continued Or. Hillegas, "particu-
| larly in New England. it has been found
! necessary to increase teachers salaries
during the period of their contract. This
| has been done. also. in Vermont. The
| State is trying to bring this matter
! to the attention of the school authori-
| ties and 20 the public, in order that II
may be thoroughly understood by local
communities and definite settlement
| reached
connected with this question is tho
matter Of the number Of those who are
preparing 10 teach, The National Edu-
| cational association md the United States
| Bureau of Education have each issued
warnings in regard 20 the greatly de-
creased numbers Of young people who
are preparing Ia teach. This applies to
the country al large. Nermont's locs-
| ton makes it absolutely necessary that
We depend upon ourselves for our supply
| of teachers. In order 10 secure enough
! young people to supply all of the schools,
1t is essential that every township has
| in training sufficient number Of young
people to meet the needs OF their schools
each year
! II is for the purpose Of considering
these two important questions. the main
tenance of the supply of teachers and tire
1f coll. hot,
board Of education has invited the school
directors of the state to this conference
| 10 be held in The city to-day.
| Speaking of the organiza tons Of teach
ers recently formed in different parts
| Of the State, Mr.. Hilegas said that these
are really good things and the public
has need to worry about them, 50
long as the people are ready to Coop
crate with the teachers and give them
fair treatment These organizations are
formed under The advice of the National
| Educational association. which recon-
mends association of teachers locally. not
| with any idea of a radical movement, Of
sympathetic strikes, or any federation
| with labor organizations outside the
profession The idea is simply to advances
tho interest of teachers and at the same
time give better service through the
schools
When these organizations have con-
Quoted the Investigations which they ara
planning and ii which they are being
assisted to a large extent by the local
school directors and superintendents. and
the facts thus obtained have been placed
before the public, il will be seen, thinks
DR.. Hillegas, that Vermont must raise
the salaries Of teachers on a par with
those of other States, and develop bet
ter facilities for training teachers in the
State.