Middletown transcript. [volume] (Middletown, Del.) 1868-current, 1919-03-15
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te10o, which minimum is paid BY the
State, but authorizes the County Board
to pay more out of the county school
fund. Section 112 authorizes the
County Superintendent to nominate for
appointment and fix the salaries Of the
professional, clerical, statistical and
stenographic assistants Of his Office; it
also provides for New Caatle County
two or more elementary school super
visors at salary Of $1,000 or more. the
minimum to be paid by the state, but all
over two and any excess over $500 10
payable by the county; it also provides
for at least one attendance officer at q
minimum salary of $1,000, any additional
attendance officers. and any increased
salary to be paid by the county. Does
any one. even Professor Jump. believe
that $12, 900 is half what it is going to
cost the county Of New Castle within
five years for increased salary to the
Superintendent, increased numbers and
compensation of the supervisors and
attendance officers?
There are several other items that
Professor Jump avoids. Does he know
that the County Board of Education
cannot employ an architect to prepare
plans for new school house or the re-
modelling of an old one unless the
architect, not the plans, be approved by
the State Commissioner Of Education
That there is a provision that the
County Board shall provide means Of
transportation at the expense Of the
County Schools for its Superintendent,
supervisors and attendance officers !?
That no janitor can be employed except
on the approval Of the County Superln-
tendent? That the County Boards may
land undoubtedly willy provide for
medical inspectors and nurses for all
schools. to be paid for by the taxpayer?
That, in Middletown for example. it
will be necessary to have at least two
automobile trucks running every school
day to bring all children residing more
than two miles away from the school
house, and that these will cost at least
500 per month to operate? That the
salaries Of our corps of teachers, which
now reachers $545O per annum will be
$3.50, of which the State will pay one
half of the High School salaries, or
$3.50.
Professor Jump also says that Middle
town will receive, in addition to $1,000,
which as l have pointed out, is $3.50,
based on present conditions, Estate
appropriations she is now receiving"
and twice the amount she is now re-
ceiving for pay pupils. The only way,
il the first place, by which Middletown
can receive $500, is by putting in four
year high school and employing another
teacher at salary of $l4OO, Of which
the State would pay one-fourth and the
district three-fourtts To do this v i'll
necessitate considerable increase in the
size Of the building as every available
room is nov occupied. Who is to pro-
vide the room? In the second place,
what assurance have we, in the law,
that the state appropriations will be
the same as at present. The act says
that such appropriations as the state
may make, other than those particularly
specified, shall be divided among the
districts proportionately to the number
of teachers employed. It seems prob
able that when the General Assembly
figures up the total of the appropri-
atoms under the law, it will be faced
with serious condition and will be as
likely to decrease as to increase the
present appropriations. In reference
to the pay pupils, the complete answer
is that everyone we now have brings
US in debt. It must be remembered,
in the first place that as Middletown
will be in the county and under the
jurisdiction of the county board, all
scholars in New Castle County outside
of New Castle, Newark and the dupont
School, will have the same rights that
residents of Midiletown have to go to
Middletown Schools, for, the cost will be
borne by all taxables. But, it is only
the scholars who are fitted for the
higher grades, that can come to our
schools from outside the present dis
tricts. The average cost Of all scholars
now is about 81 cents FER day for the
average time in attendance. Under IL {
roposed increase in salaries, and add
officials, this cost will probably, in tn
future be nearer 81 cents than 80. III.
high school cost is easily double this,
as the number in attendance is smaller
and the pay Of teachers higher. think
it will probably run close to 80 cents
per day for all pupils under the new law
even allowing for double the number.
The state pays twenty cents, and the
district must make up the difference.
But as have tried to make clear the
expense question is not Of as great i'm
portance as was the things that have
been stricken out. But l do think this
is not the time to fix minimum salaries
on the basis of present prices of wheat,
corn and other products. Still, l am
satisfied that the results we have been
aiming at have been reached and
cured.
TAXPAYER
WARWICK