The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1919-11-24
BETTER PAY FOR TEACHERS.
Proposal to Put in the Town Meeting
Warning Article for $3.50 Minimum.

gymen throughout the country are to
| receive an increase of $500 in salaries,
making their stipends 81 500 a year,
comes as welcome bit OF news to
those who are anxious to see the prop
er balances somewhat nearly main
tanned among the various occupa tions
and who also appreciate some of the
hard and oftentimes vexing work which
the elergymen have to perform. The
| clergymen, the teachers and the peo-
| pie of some Of the salaried occupations
have not been keeping pace with the
general increase Barre Times.
In the general scramble for higher
wages and better living conditions, it
is inevitable that those who make the
| least noise are apt to be overlooked
and their claims for recognition ig-
nored. The Methodist conferences have
shown leadership that state and local
school and church boards might very
we'll initiate.
No class of workers has been hard
err hit by the increased cost Of living
than salaried men and women, many
'of who have received no increase com
pensation whatever since the prices of
commodities were boosted by war con-
ditions and many of those who have re-
ceived some additional compensation
finding it entirely insufficient to their
needs.
The needs of preachers have received
some recognition, but it is plainly evil
dent that parishes, church societies
I mr. i1xyfa ~
ventions and dioceses must give the
, matter further attention if their min
listers and priests are to maintain their
-! families or themselves in comfort and
respectability under such forms of dig
nified support as church laws and Gus
toms permit
| No one expects preacher to make
money by preaching the gospel and
ministering to his congregation; nei-
Their should any one expect him to
bmake needless sacrifices, to say moth
ing of depriving his family of proper
advantages of education and opportu-
nifty, simply because he happens to be
supported by the voluntary" contri-
buttons of church congregation.
As TO the teachers, that is more OF
less community and commonwealth
affair. There is no possible way for
the individual taxpayer to avoid the
responsibility of paying school teach
ers a better wage. When educated
trained women receive less compensa-
tion than the janitor who takes care
of their school rooms, there is clearly
something wrong.
Imagine such women, after years OF
service and training, receiving less thar
! ST 900 year Think OF young WON
en-, after a course of special training
undertaking to teach for $500 year
This is written with full recognition
of the fact that since the passage o.
the state school bill in 1915 much ha,
been done to improve the condition
and compensation of Vermont teachers
but the sharp increase in living cost,
makes it necessary to go further anC
do more If teachers are to be decently
supported and if desirable men anC
women are to be attracted by the pro
fession.
School boards and school superin
tendents are naturally bound in a very
large degree by the ill-considcred par
simony of the voter, but there mus
be an end--and that very soon-to thu
| systematic efforts of school officials L
screw down" TEACHERS compensation
as low as possible An exactly con,
trary policy must be adopted, that OF
raising salaries Just as high as the re
sources of the community will per
| ystif MI av bal have y
teaching material to draw from--younl
women of ability being already largely
driven away from training courses anC
normal schools ythe fact that the pro
fession does not even offer them q de
cent living.
Meanwhile the teachers we have
those who have served their pupils anc
communities faithfully for the best
years Of lifetime-must either taxi
up new occupations or support hard
ship and privation under present scales
of compensation and living. 1t will moi
do to argue short hours, short weeks
and short terms as reason for small
pay. The teacher who faithfully doei
the work of her appointed hours ant
terms does all that she can do and al
that her growing charges can do. i
takes most OF her time and all of he
energy; she should therefore be com
pensated accordingly.
Unless the situation is faced AM
fairly met, we shall see ere long tn,
unseemly and undignified spectacle o
teachers forming labor unions and un
dertaking to enforce their necessitie
by strikes or other forms of coercion
What taxpayer desires teachers
strike What voter, fairly faced by tn
question, will not admit that teacher
are underpsidg
That being the case, it looks a
! though warnings for town, village an
city meetings ought to contain som
such article as the following:
"To see if the town will vote to pa,
its teachers minimum of $3.50 yea
| and authorize the raising of tax t
care for the same.
This would be a fair start towar
desirable end, and later on a gradu
otad GOO 10 basaI -, az o,1 x,,a y