The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1920-03-11
ROAD BILLS FOR GARRETT
Seven Introduced in the Senate By
Senator Speicher Wednesday.

In order TO provide all of the schools
of the county with teachers, the Gen
eral Assembly Of Maryland is enacting
into law a teachers salary scale that
calls for material increases in the SAL
aries of teachers. The bill proposing
these increases is a State admins
tration measure, supported by the
State Department of Education and
various other educational interests, and
is known as Senate Bill No. 27, and
has been introduced by Senator Dish
aroon, Of Wicomico county. In a gen.
eral way the proposed law calls for in
creases in teachers salaries as follows
the same being based upon the an
nual salaries:
Minima of Minima of
present proposed
Certificate State law State law
Provisional, 3D.. .S500-55O
Regular, 3rd. .... S4OO-475. .$6OO-65O
Provisional, End. =. $60O-7O
Regular, End. 49,. S450-525. $70O-SOO
Regular, 1st.... S500-6O0. .$SOO-950
There are material increases pro-
vided for in the new law to be paid to
principals Of elementary schools, to
principals of State high schools Of
the first group and to principals and
teachers of other State high schools.
In order to meet the requirements
of the new teachers salary schedule.
the Board of County Commissioners
Of Prince George county last week at
Upper Marlboro, raised the county tax
rate or school purposes from SO cents
on the 500 assessment to 81 cents.
this increase of % cents to be devoted
wholly to school purposes
In order to meet the demands to
provide teacher for every school in
the county and to pay to every teacher
the salary required by the new sched-
ule, the tax rate for Garrett county,
specifically for school purposes, will
have to be increased as much as the
increase has been in Prince George
county, or even greater.
The above increases in teachers sal
aries are not requirements upon the
county as applying to the old-time
life certificates" four or five of
which are still offered by teachers in
Garrett county as credentials upon
which to teach
In order to eQualize the taxes and
educational opportunities to as great
an extent as possible throughout the
State, and especially the increases
called for under the provisions of the
new teachers salary law, Senator H.
J. Speicher, last week before the Com
mittees on Education and Finance in
the Senate made a vigorous effort to
have the State school funds distrib-
uted upon basis which would be
more favorable to Garrett county, the
Senator's plan being based upon the
distribution of the State school fund
IN great measure upon the number of
teachers employed instead of upon
the present basis of census and DAYS
attendance.
There is no alternative nor room for
discussion that teachers must be paid
higher salaries if democracy is to con-
t'nue in this country, for under tie
present system of low salaries teach
ers are leaving the work and very few
beginners are entering the profes
sion. Furthermore, all American cit
iZsns understand that the great fact
IN the development of the United
States and of its citizens is that
money spent on essentials is bound to
pay itself back Our country cannot
go ahead fast if it slommicks itself
into lot of Chinese makeshifts. 1t
Is not question of how can the coun-
ty or State afford these public schools.
They are the things which pay for
themselves, not in the first five min
utes perhaps, but in a course of a
little time they always give back their
value.
In the Senate on last Wednesday
Garrett county held the centre of the
stage when Senator Speicher threw
into the hopper seven road bills to au-
thorlze the State Roads Commission
to construct that number of improved
roads within the confines of the coun-
ty, as follows:
Authorizing the State Roads Com
mission and the United States Depart
ment of Agriculture to build a con-
crete highway from Oakland to the
West Virginia line.
Authorizing the State Roads Com
mission and the United States De-
partment of Agriculture to build
road from the National turnpike to
connect with the Pennsylvania State
highway.
Authorizing the State Roads Com
mission to build a road from Gortner
b. s-4o