The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1919-11-25
LETTERS TO EDITOR
Delay in Teachers Salaries

| To the Editor of The Age-Herald:
A communication headed Teachers
, Promptly Paid signed by r. G. Hewitt,
chief clerk in the county superinten-
dents office, appeared in Saturday
mornings Herald. His contention
that teachers were paid promptly con-
| tains a very serious reflection on the
| Intelligence of the teaching force of
Jefferson county. The years work was
supposed to have begun September s.
as institute week is to be counted a
part of the regular school term. 1t
, takes very little mental effort to cal
culate the time in periods OF four
weeks. The Friday preceding Satur-
days pay day, including this institute
week, closed the eleventh week of ac-
tual work on the part of the teachers,
and this pay day, with the one preced-
ing, covered eight weeks with the ex-
ception of the teachers of the Jeffer-
son County High school, who have thus
far received pay for only seven weeks.
Mr.. Hewitt refers to the fact that
a. former article of mine stated that it
was the consensus Of opinion of the
teachers of the county," and written
by request of a number of teachers"
repeat that statement, and will state
further that If Mr.. Hewitt and the Of
flee force in general could have heard
ton and Endorsement that came from
principals and teachers all over the
county, even Mr.. Hewitt and the office
| force could realize that the Schedule"
pay day did not meet with the APP
prevail of the teachers and that my
article voiced the general discomfort
and disapproval of the course pursued
in delaying the pay day.
Mr.. Hewitt emphatically states that
the schedule was not arranged for
the benefit of the office force" / was
told by a member of the office force
when l called the office some two
weeks ago in regard to the matter that
the pay day had been postponed be-
cause 1t would be impossible for them
to get the pay roll out on time. AS
such course could not possibly bene-
fit anyone else 1 use the expression.
for the benefit of the office force"
contend that the expression was prop
erly used
Mr. Hewitt refers to a resolution passed
by the county boa,d of education TO the
erect that the teachers would be paid
one-half salary for institute attendance
on the January pay roll. This resolution
was adopted because two years ago when
the teachers were paid in connection with
the first months salary some few re-
signed. Hence tie county board decided to
"oih tiiS dutlllonal nar0Snlp upon the
great majority of the teachers who at
tended the institute and mean to fulhli
their contracts. If the county board feels
that those who resign deserve this cur
tailment of salary, why not confine it TO
those VINO resign? Mr.. Hewitt states that
the teachers could have had this informa-
ton ty applying at the office. The teach
ers of the county have had explanations
in lieu of pay days until they feel that
ic for-t No Ito a. l.. a.
of some of these elaborate explanations
However, landls dies do pot accept such
explanations in lieu of board bills nor do
merchants cash them in
Mr.. Hewitt states that the county board
had to borrow the money to meet the pay
roll. Tine teachers would like to ask why
this money could not have been borrowed
two weeks earlier.
Mr.. Hewitt further informs US that the
pay roll is made out from the monthly
reports sent out by the principals of
schools and that under the law they have
until the Wednesday following to file
those reports. He does not refer to the
fact that it is also the law that those
who do not get in their reports by that
time he left off the pay rool. In letter
to the writer. Mr.. Baker states that on
said Wednesday of last month there were
II reports still out. Then why not have
adhered to the law in this instance and
left them off the pay roll instead of hav
ing the entire teaching force pay the
penalty for the negligence of the II?
quote from Mr. Hewitt again, II think
that even Miss Jones will see that it
would not be possible to get ready to pay
the teachers on the Saturday following
Wednesday"
Neither Miss Jones nor the teachers or
the county are able to see this impossi-
bility, nor do they feel that the delay in
the payment of last months salaries has
been satisfactorily explained.
MABEL LOUISE JONES.
Birmingham, November %. 1919