The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1919-12-25
INCREASED PAY FOR TEACHERS

INCREASED PAY FOR TEACHERS
The attention of the entire state
and nation is being given today as
never before TO the subject of low
salaries paid to public school teachers.
1t took practically a World War to
bring the true conditions to the sur
face. With the salaries remaining
practically at the pre-war figure,
there has resulted that hundreds have
been retained and crept into the teach
ing force who are under standard, I'M
der age, under present-day require
ments, or, in their own unanimous
judgment, underpaid, with the result
that the whole public school system
itself, both locally and nationally, has
almost gone under"
With this knowledge before them,
State and county fiscal authorities are
striving to save the school system as
best they can under the great strain
caused by the people generally de-
handing larger and more satisfactory
public agencies of all types and styles.
The revenues in sight by those re-
sponsible for securing them, 90 not in
any degree meet these demands. Great
sums will have to be paid into the pub
lie treasury to meet these demands
and here comes in the old joke about
the Golfers being empty.
Our State school authorities have
taken the bull by the horns and the
tussle will soon begin. The struggle
will begin in earnest in the 1920 Gen
eral Assembly of Maryland, as we
learn from the following editorial
clipped from the Baltimore Sun of
December 10Th:
'The new scale of salaries for teach
ers in the elementary schools of the
counties, proposed by the State Board
of Education, seems to be reasonable.
For the three grades, the minimum
would be $500, $3.50 and $3.50.
"The $500 grade covers those hav-
ing normal school training. Certainly
salary that will average about $66
monthly, on twelve months basis, is
not an excessive minimum for the men
and women who have obtained SPECIAL
training. 1t is less than the we'll
trained stenographer is paid And the
proposed minimum salaries of $3.50
and $3.50 for the other two grades
seem equally reasonable. In one case
the salary is barely aboveS50 a month
on a twelve month basis, and in the
other it is below thac figure. Anyone
not worth such salaries is not fit to
teach the youth of Maryland in any
capacity.
"The increases proposed for high
school teachers average, it is said,
about 80 per cent. In view of the fact
that the cost of living has advanced
in much greater degree, that figure
seems to be fair. AS matter of fact,
that increase, like those proposed for
the elementary schools, hardly would
be sufficient, if the teachers did not
live in the country or in small towns
where the advance in the cost of liv-
ing has not been as oppressive as in
the big cities.
Estate Superintendent Stephens is
quoted as saying that the cost of these
increases, estimated at S750,000 annu-
ally, would require an increase of 2
cents in the school tax, and that in
crease would mean that the tax had
been put back to the old figure. 1t is
now Is cents; until the reassessment
Of property throughout the state, and
the consequent large increase in the
basis, the tax was II cents. Having
the keenest understanding of the ne
cessity for rigid economy in the next
Legislature, that there may not be a
great advance in the State rate, on top
of the so per cent. advance in the
city and the large advance in some of
the counties, it nevertheless appears
to be clear that an increase of 2 cents
in the school tax should be no bar to
adoption of the higher scale of sal
aries.
"Inasmuch as the new State gov