New-York tribune., 1920-02-15
Few Care to Take UP Work
and Big Shortage Here Is
Laid to Pittance Paid;
Eligible List Exhausted
Pupils Are the Sufferers
Almost 2,7OO Substitutes
Lacking; Call Sent All
Over the Country Fails

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In New York's schools to-day there
Is shortage of teachers, a shortage
Of applicants for teaching positions, a
shortage of pupils in the teachers
training schools-all this in spite Of
the fact that the Board of Examiners
to recruit teachers for New York, and
has lowered the qualifications for
licensing teachers to the danger point.
These are the immediate and direct re-
! suits of the underpayment Of teachers
and of the consequent designations.
The shortage of teachers amounted
to 348 on February 8, 257 in the
elementary schools and 81 in the
high schools, where men are leaving
even faster than women. In addition
there was a shortage Of somewhere
near 2,700 available substitute teach
ers. There was not an available licensed
teacher on the eligible lists on that
date, and it was expected that by Feb
ruary Is there would be nearly 300
more vacant places. These figures may
not be entirely accurate, because the
Board Of Education is itself so short
of experienced clerical help that it
knows its reports are poorly drawn, but
they are as close as the officials can
come to getting at the truth.
eve simply can't get enough teach
ers," says Superintendent William l..
Ettinger zone list after another of
eligiblea is exhausted without filing
the constantly growing hole in the sys-
tenn, though the Board of Examiners
is working overtime trying to save the
situation"
City Needs 1000
Teachers a Year
The New York school system nor
mally needs about 1000 new teachers
year. But last year it needed 1919,
and this year it will need many more
Normally it needs some 1000 substi-
tutes. This year it ought to have
5000. DR.. William J. O'Shea estimates
that there are not more than 800 work.
ing on any one day.
New York is not alone in this condi-
tion. There is no reserve supply in
the whole country that can be drawn
upon. Something like $4,000 out of
$4,000 teachers In the country as q
whole resigned last year, about % per
cent. The national shortage to-day is
$4,000 to 10000. And of those who are
working there are $4,000 below the nor
NAL local standards. Many of those
local standards are far below the eff
cheney point.
Only one-fifth of the teachers in the
United States have the equivalent of
high school education and two years
normal training" declared Professor
George d. Strayer, of Teachers Col
lege This is the New York standard.
You see," he went on, I'VE have al
most nothing to start with and we are
fast losing that"
The New York Board Of School Ex-
aminers knows that there is no reserve
In fact, outside schools which have
raised salaries are actually taking
away New York teachers. Some of
them are paying enough so that they
can almost have their pick of New
York's best. The board asked heads of
normal schools and colleges through
the country to hold examinations to Sc
lect New York teachers. There were
almost no applicants. Even the lure
OF the big city is not enough to draw
teachers from other places-at the
present salaries.
Serious Shortage
OF Substitutes
THE shortage Of substitutes is even
more seriods," declared DR.. O'Shea
who fs head of the division of assign
ments, transfers, designations. etc.
There are not even listed anywhere
near the 5000 that we need. though the
Board of Examiners is holding exam
nations every week to fill up. 1t is
impossible to tell Just how many arc
working on any one day, but it is safe
- say that the number never exceeds
500. You can't blame them, consider
ing the hard work and the pay"
Without the substitutes all the occa.
sional, and at present also the perma-
nent, gaps remain untitled. There was
time when 1T took almost year after
one passed the examination for a regu
lar teachers position before one was
near enough to the top Of the list even
20 be called on as substitute. Those
were the days when there were two or
thfs.e lists of eligibles, with some hun
dreds of names each, waiting for places.
At that time the substitutes had all
the qualifications of regular teachers
To-day they have not-every one that
mas the regular qualifications and is
available is appointed instantly. 1t is
those of poorer quality who are acting
as substitutes.
This points to another, and perhaps
the greatest, evil of the present under
pay and the shortage it has caused:
the lowering of standards. II wogldn't
exactly say that the standards have
been lowered" DR.. Ettinger explained.
You might say they are as high as
ever. But we can't live up to them"
Actually, the difference between