Weekly Caledonian. (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1919-1920, 1920-02-11
TEACHERS TO
WORK FOR $40
MINIMUM WAGE
st. Johnsbury Teachers So
ciety Explain 1t sPosition
Through President

l.. H. Baxter, president of the now
ly organized Teachers Society in
st. JohnSbuly, has written the Cal
edonian-Record an article explaining
in brief the salary question which
now confronts the teachers. 1t is I,
matter of interest to every tax payer
and supporter of our public schools.
MI. Baxter discusses in an interesting
way the subject Good Teachers at a
good salary or inferior teachers at an
inferior salary"
He says:
ut is an old saying that we never get
anything better than what VIC pay
for and this surely ought to hold true
concerning teachers.
"Does a business man expect to
get skilled man for the salary he
pays his unskilled labor?
"Why then should teachers, skill
ed professional body of the highest
type, receive a third less yearly than
the average woman who earns her
living by cleaning by the hour?
"Teachers spent great amount of
time and expense preparing for their
life work. They are specialists. They
are expected to dress neatly, sub
scribe to societies, magazines and
attend social functions. At certain
times they have to supplement their
education by summer school study
and must be progressive and keep up
with the times.
Beside being self supporting they
in a great may cases have others who
depend on them.
"Teachers at the present time can
hardly break even at the years end
and many can not. That is why ac-
cording to Hon. Franklin X. Lane,
Secretary of the Interior, that $4,000
public school teachers resigned last
year, that is why graduates of the
normal schools decreased from IS to
40 percent during the past four years
and that is why thousands of schools
in the very states along the border of
Vermont with Vermont included have
closed their doors on account of tea
cher shortage, Maine alone reporting
~. 1t is a serious condition.
From a business standpoint, what
man continues in business that Just
breaks even at the end of the year?
We are all in the laboring game for
the almighty dollar and it is only the
dreamer who believes we arc working
for the sentiment of the thing alone.
what then is to become Of the
teacher in her old age if she has been
unable to lay aside enough to pro-
vide for herself?
lis she, who has given the best cf-
forts and years of her life in train
ing young manhood and wonlanhood,
to DC cast aside and perhaps become
an encumbrancc to society in her
old age?
"lf the public will pay Babe Ruth
$4,000 or better, for half q years
work, and Jack Dempsey 100000 for
a single fight, will they not pay their
teachers a salary inviting enough to
keep them in their profession?
care Vclmonters willing to keep
the average pay of their elementary
school teachers at 1922 per year. as
they are now IN. +. A. report) or
37th among the 48 states of the union
and last of the New England states?
"From 1014-19 the increase of sal
aries for Vermont teachers was 8 per
cent and the estimated increase in liv-
ing expense for the same period so
per cent or more. What is the rem
edy?
"The St. Johnsbury Teachers So
ciety, cooperating with the Vermont
Woman Teachers Society ask the tax
payers of the town to vote the fnan-
ces necessary to keep the teaching
force of the town at it, present eff
cient state, at the March Town meet
ing and invites further discussion of
this great national problem. Make
the minimum salary of your trained
teachers $40 per week.