The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1920-03-19
An Enthusiastic,
Splendid Meeting

sembled at the court house in this city
last Saturday morning for an all-day
meeting Of the School Board members
Of the county. Not only was the gath
ering unusually large but it was
thoroughly representative, as prac-
tically all the school districts in the
county were represented by one or
more board members, patrons or
teacher.
The great Importance of the meet
ing was the urgency of immediate ac-
tion for providing better pay for
school teachers, which has long been
apparent must be done, in view of the
fact that many of the best qualified
teachers have already left this county,
having been drawn elsewhere by bet
ter paying positions.
For the past year or more many
county schools have been forced t.
take anyone they could get to teach
their school, while at the same time
certificates have been issued to some
who were in reality not entitled to
them, only in order to relieve the great
stress for teachers. Information was
given out at Saturdays meeting that
not only st. Francois county, but the
entire State of Missouri, is being
stripped of many of the best teachers,
owing to inferior wages in these
stressful times. 1t is only natural,
therefore, that their places must be
filled with the best material at hand.
1t was quite apparent throughout
the meeting that the feeling was prac-
ically unanimous that there must be
immediate arrangements made where
by material advance in the pay of
school teachers could be made. One
speaker advocated as minimum
wage, in the poorest country district,
of S100 month, and such expression
met with considerable applause. The
realization appeared to be general that
it was now "up to" the parents and
taxpayers to increase the salaries of
teachers in these days of inflated
prices, if the very foundations of the
government are to be kept intact.
Just before the meeting adjourned
the following resolutions were adopt
ed without dissenting vote:
First-That we memorialize the
County Court to provide place of de-
tention adequate to care for the de-
linquent and neglected children of st.
Francois county.
Second-That it is the sense OF this
Convention that all school districts in
st. Francois county having an enum-
GRAFTON of less than twenty pupils of
school age, should be abandoned, and
the territory thereof combined with
some adjacent district; and wherever
necessary, transportation of the chill
dren to and from school should be
provided.
THIRD sas The County superin-
tendent of Schools should be enabled
to attend Educational Conventions of
our State at the expense of the county.
Fourth---To help solve the teacher
shortage problem we offer the follow
ing solution:
(a) The adoption of the proposed
Constitutional Amendment permit
ting the rural school boards to vote
100 cents on the 800 assessed val
uation.
(b) Until adequate school funds
can be raised by the levy of the in
creased rate we recommend that all
schools vote a building and repair
tax under Section 10797, Revised
pbdtutSo VI hlaSuuIIt 1OVO, tAll0
transfer the balance remaining af-
ter the purpose for which said fund
was levied is accomplished to the
incidental fund, according to Sec
tion 10857, Revised Statutes of Mis-
souri, 1909. By providing for the
incidental expenses in this manner,
Boards of Education may make their
estimate filed with the County Clerk
include in the teachers fund all the
levy under Section 10791 for teach
ers and incidentals.
(c) That we call upon the County
Assessor, the County Board of
Equalization and the County Court
of st. Francois county to take the
necessary steps to see that all tax
able property in the county is as
sessed; and that the local and State
Boards of Equalization be requested
to do all in their power to see that
all assessable property in the State
is assessed at its full value, as pro
vided by the Constitution and the
laws of the State of Missouri.
CHAS. SCHuTTLER, Chairman,
C. /. GARRETT,
f. o. BUXTON,
p