Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-03-18
BAD PAY, BAD TEACHERS,
BAD SCHOOLS, BAD CITIZENS
That 10 the Inevitable Deduction. Of
the Present sltuatlon, Which TAX.
payers Themselves Should: Real.
Ixe and Help to Remedy

payers tUomsetNen .SHouiu. Noa'
Ize and Help 60 Remedy
"SCHOOL conditions in Pennsylva-
~ MIA" remarked Governor Sproul
he other day, ARE bad from top to bot
tom because Of the low salaries paid to
the teachers"
The first step toward the cure of any
ailment is a correct diagnosis, as every
physician knows.
The Governor has revealed himself as
good diagnostician.
Now that we know what the trouble
is, the next thing to do is to apply the
remedy.
Doctor Finegan, the state superin-
tendent of public instruction, has an
nounced that he is considering recon- =
nendation to the next Legislature for an
increase in the sum devoted to support
of the schools and for fixing a minimum
salary schedule for the city and coun-
try districts.
Doctor Finegan was appointed to his
present Office in, order to bring the
schools of the state up to level with
the best in the country. He is a recog-
nized expert in education. He Is familiar
with what has been done elsewhere.
And he is a sincere believer in the
public school system as the fostering
agen. and conserver of democracy.
Indeed, the justification for the sys-
TEN Of free public education in America
Is primarily political. Public schools
are maintained not to teach boys and
girls how to earn a living, though there
are nowadays many persons who think
that more attention should be paid to
technical training, but to teach citizens
how to read and write and know some
thing Of the history of our institutions
so that they may act intelligently at the
election polls.
The problem before tfc state today
is how to secure teachers equipped to
train the children. If a stock raiser
should find that the old rate of pay was
not high enough to attract men qualified
to care for his horses or his cows, he
would instantly offer a higher rate OF
wages and increase it until he got the
kind of help he wanted.
The present pay schedule in the pub
lie schools is so low that men and womer
are leaving the profession by the thou
sand. There Is a shortage of 140, ,00(
teachers in the United States. The
shortage in Pennsylvania is many thou
sands, and in Philadelphia children are
leaving school because there are ne
teachers for them and because no teach
ers can be got for the pay offered. Tht
need is so great that teachers who hat
been dropped for inefficiency have beer
restored. and teachers who cannot speal
English correctly or without a marked
foreign accent are in charge Of classe,
of children at the most impressionabl'
age.
This condition will continue unit
there is assurance that a living wag'
will be paid. Until that time comes th'
men and women attracted to the pro
fession will, in too many instances, b.
those who cannot find employment any
where else. Instead of alert minded
progressive men and women with abilit!
to inspire enthusiasm in their classes
there will be weaklings, and the childrei
will suffer accordingly.
Not enough money is available to Civ
! to the teachers the pay they should have
1t cannot be raised until the Legislator
authorizes the communities to increas
their tax rate for school purposes an
until the state itself enlarges its appro
priations. This cannot be done unit
next winter.
In the meantime the high minde
teaching force in this city is approach
ing the problem fairly. The allie
teachers salary committee has alread
condemned talk about strike. Th
teachers are aware that a strike woul
do more harm than good. The com
mittee is about to call to its assistanc
citizens committee of one hundred I
urge upon the Board of Public Educa
ton not only salary increase for tn
teachers at the earliest possible date, bu
to consider the whole educational prob
! lem aud to suggest plan for meeting
similar crisis in the future when
arises without having to wait for legis
lative action in Harrisburg. Mayo
Moore is to be asked to act as chairma
of the committee.
This is the right way to go about /,
1t is placing the matter in the hands Q
the people who are most interested i
the schools, whether they realize it O
not. The teachers can well tell tn
parents that they are educating thei
children and that they cannot do
properly unless they have adequate sup
port.
When Doctor Finegan comes to Phil
adelphia, as he is to do in few days
he will find an alert teaching forc
ready to cooperate with him, and b
will also find a Board of Public Educa
tion with a fuller appreciation Of il
obligations than it has had for SON
) time. SO much has been gained by th
, agitation conducted by the salary com
| mittee of the teachers organizations.
GOV. BECKETT OBllGES
rvxtIL, Jacision Of Governor Bickett {