The Leavenworth echo. [volume] (Leavenworth, Wash.) 1904-current, 1920-03-19
SCHOOL DIRECTORS EXPLAIN
THEIR ACTION WITH REFER.
ENCE TO TEACHERS SALARIES

l. L. 4
ENCE TO TEACHERS SALARIES.
The attack upon the School Board
by Misses Grue, Anderson and Buck
published in last weeks Echo. needs
some explanation. Through the cour-
teSy of the editor we herewith give
our reasons for taking the action to
which these three reSrgning teacber.
take exception and characterize as
unfair and unjust. The controversy
has been going on for the past three
months. 1t is long story but we
will be as brief as possible.
In December the Board was in
formed that a committee from the
teachers desired a hearing before the
Board. On Dee % the Board met
and a committee consisting of Missa,
Day. Grue and Conrad met with
them. The committee stated that
they represented the teachers a. a
body and requested that a bonus of
$500 for the year be granted each Of
the : teachers. After some discus
sion the Board asked the teachers
how they expected the Board to raise
5000 so late in the year They pro
posed bond election and the isSu
ance of bonds for the amount Rut
issuance of bonds for such a purpose
is illegal. The only way then open
to the granting Of such a REQUEST is
for the people to authorize the Board
at an election to exceed the income
for the year to the extent of $500
TO understand this we must remen-
Der that the School Board is REQUIRED
by law to estimate their expense for
the school year which is from July to
July in the month of August and set
levy sufficient to cover the esti-
mate which is forwarded to the coun
~ auditor and the commissioners set
the tax levy at their October meet
ing. This estimate was based on
contracts which the Board had made
with the teachers and which We're to
run for the school year In making
the estimate we had made some al
lowances for emergencies. It was
we'll that we did because as soon as
school opened we found it necessary
to engage an extra teacher on account
of an increased enrolment. Also
there has been a good deal of other
unexpected expense. So that when
the request for bonus of $500 was
made we knew it was utterly impos-
sible to pay it out Of the present
years funds. To run This $500 into
next years expense meant an extra
tax levy of 3 mills But the teachers
would also want the salary maintain
ed next year which would mean an
other $500 or another levy Of mills
making 6 mills in all above the regu-
slar levy. The Board took the tax
payers into consideration in this mat
ter and after some elaboration re-
fused to grant the teachers request.
Shortly after this decision was Civ
en- we We're informed by Nh Sutton
that or 3 or the grade teachers
would likely resign. This was con
frmed in conversation with the teach
ers themselves who declared that it
took over half their salary for board,
room and laundry which left them
very little for clothing. etc Now
here is where the trouble with the
high school teachers comes in. After
looking into the school funds for the
year we concluded thar we could pay
a small advance in the salaries of our
lowest paid teachers which would help
them out in the H. c. OF l.. Our fail
ure to show the same consideration to
the other teachers was due wholly to
lack of funds. A promise was then
made to the grade teachers of bo-
nus of S75 to be paid at the end of
the school year. In this Miss Elem
ing, who as Principal, receives 1925
a month, was excepted. This is'what