The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1920-07-10
TEACHERS KICK
 ON STATE AID
(Continued from Page One.)


 mon Council on June z, that proper procedure be taken to place at the disposal of the Board of Eduoa ton a sum of s57,S97 50 for the school year 1919-20. The legislature of Connecti- cut had already laid down exactly the condition under which the City of Bridgeport was to be fully reim- bursed. In making this request, the Board of Education acted on behalf of the Teachers Association. The teach CTS believe that the Common Council has full power to authorize an enner- gency loan to any city board.
 'It is significant that on June ', the allermanic body with 23 members present voted unaniIn ously to provide for the full amount requested fby the Board of Education within the time specified by law Ultimate acton on this vote was halted by a statement from the Board of Apportionment that the money asked for had been already included in the salary increases voted April 1. 1920.
 ''The Teachers Association here repeats its already published answer to the statement that they have re- ceived their share of the state aid grant. The teachers believe that any additional salary received by them between April 1st and June 25, 1920, constitutes a direct increase in salary voted them by the Board of Educa- tion of the City of Bridgeport. They believe that the state contributed no part of this increase. Moreover, the | teachers do not wish to accept any money from the state as part of any contract price into which they enter with the City of Bridgeport. They 1 originally agreed to accept the money I on the assurance that was an ex- traOrdinarv tn he l independent of any and all salary in creases and that it was to be equally distributed among the teachers. The teachers have consistently opposed any 1 incorporation of state aid with local i increase. Whatever virtue there may be in state control of, or participation in municipal contracts, the teachers of | Bridgeport are not at this time ready | to accept it.
 | ''The City Attorney further rules 1 that "the state aid grant should be anticipated in the contracts" Obvi- | ously, such anticipation was fmpos- | sible. The money in question was l due for the year 1919-20. The legis- lature which passed the bill closed in | May 1919. The State Boaro Of Edu- cation did not rule that teachers could legally claim the grant until July 1919. The Bridgeport contracts were signed early in June, 1919. Bridge I port teachers had no opportunity o1 | contracting for state aid, had they sc | desired.
 | "The City Attorney states that "a | grant of extra money is expressly i prohibited by the constitution of the l State of Connecticut" The teachers 1 direct attention to the fact that the 1 legislature of the State of Connec- ticut. provided for the grant. Chap ter 343 is part of the state law Other
 townships and municipalities bound l by the same Connecticut law as Bridgeport have paid the grant te | teachers as an extra and independ.
 ent sum of money. Bridgeport mus | pay it's share of the state tax wheth
 CT or not its teachers share in the | grant.
 'The city attorney points out thai
 the law does not provide for
 'bonus.' The term bonus Is nor 2
 word of teacher coinage. The teach.
 CTS have termed the money "a state
 aid grant However. the word ha:
 been popularly accepted to mean 2
 bonus. The preliminary statement
 of the Board of Apportionmen itemizes certain money as state bo
 nus The city auditor. a lawyer l used term state bonus in his rec
 ommen dation; the Board of Educa
 tion in its budget requested none. i to pay the state bonus.'
 l Altogether tho city attorney
 finding seems to prove that the statt of Connecticut had no right to vote l this extra grant to it's teachers. Int
 aldermanic body of Bridgeport ha. interpreted the finding to prove tha
 the city of Bridgeport had no righ l to give the state grant to it's teach i CTS. The city attorney of Bridge l port evidently rules that the state O.
 Connecticut has invited the publi' ! school teachers to accept an i11ega
 grant.