Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1920-09-17
DOUBLED BUDGET
NEEDEDFORSC SCHOOL
Cost of Educational institu-
tons Upkeep Twice Pre-
War Figure.

NEW YORK, September 17-School
budgets in American cities should be
twice as large as before tho war, ac-
cording to an analysis Of public
school statistics Just given out by
the Russell Sage Foundation. The re-
port maintains that teachers salaries
should now be double the pre-war
figures In sorder to obtain the same
quality Of educational service. The
cost Of school buildings is declared to
have trebled in the last five years;
These findings are made PUBLIC In q
Costs" The author is DR.. W. Ran.
dolph Burgess, assistant director OF
the department of education OF the
Russell Sage Foundation. The study
is an application to the Held OF edu-
cation Of the method OF the ind mex
to the Index Number For State
school Systems." by DR.. Leonard
Ayres, which made q comparison OF
the eficiency OF the school systems OF
different states.
paid to teachers with those paid to
iaborers and artisans for eighty
Years. and finds that the wages PAID
to young woman teachers In country
schools have increased from $500
week IN 1871 " 34ssOV NV
crease of 900 per cent. Salaries OF
woman teachers in cities show q SINH.
| lar increase from about $3.50 to 5000
a week. Man teachers received much
| smaller relative increases.
Increases We're Greater.
IN to 1915 teachers received per
! centage increases in salary nearly
| twice as great AZ artisans ano iaoo 70
| the increases the average pay OF
| taachers has never risen as high as
| wages paid to such artisans as black
| smiths, carpenters and painters.
| During tho FIVE years since 1919
creased on the average Of 4b per cent.
"a compared with q 100 per cent In.
crease in the wages OF laborers ano
ARTISANS" says q summary OF the re-
port This lag n tea tssch In pr, sa has
wiped out ali the gain that was made
since the time Of the civil war. a
lcomparison Of teachers salaries ana
1.-The cost Of the necessities OF n1e e1cn
year for the past eighty years maa aes
the nurchasing power Of the teachers
salary has been less than at any
other time since the civil war. The
report maintains that the only way
retain ecisnt teachers each at IN sef sbie
imen and women to teaching 10 70
bring salaries to q level correspond
ling to the level Of the wages in other
occupations, and the level OF the cost
lof living. This Is taken to mean
IhrinEing salaries to q point just dou-
Bile the pre-war figures"
!, Must Double School Budget.
estimating. the probable levels OF
I.chooI expenditures during tho coming
Few wears, the conclusion IL drawn by
DR. Burgess that to buy the same
amount Of educational service IN
1920 and 1921, as in 1915, 1t Will be
necessary to double the school budget.
In the light of price and wage fuctu-
atoms in the past, and particularly
ct the time of the civil war, 1t is pre-
Acted that no large decrease In prices
or wages are to be anticipated I'M
mediately, but that expenditures on
the enlarged scale will be necessary
for a number OF years.
| considering ways to meet the qe-
.;red increase in school expenses, u,
Rnrgess says he believes the tax rate
IN property, and particularly on lano'
can he further increased without dis
asfer. The wide range of tax rates
A inherent large cities Is cited 70 m
dicate that there is no economic unit
which has been reached In many
cities.