The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-03-15
VIEWS OF TEACHERS
 ON SALARY QUESTION
Committee Submits Plan Covering Expenditure of
 Five-Mill Tax

In order to get their views on the subject of increased salaries for teach CTS, in connection with the five-mill tax election question, before the people of Birmingham, the committee repre- senting the teachers of the city have prepared and presented the following statement:
 Tn the matter of increased revenues for the purpose of increasing the sal aries of our teachers and the recent action of the board of education in.re- gard to the subject, 1t will be well for the public to be informed in regard to certain facts directly from the commit tee authorized to speak for the teach CTS. The committee of principals and teachers which met with the superin- tendent and later conferred with the board of education considered very carefully all the facts of the situation. The board of education has united with the teachers in asking the commission not for what is desirable, nor even for what is needed, but for what seems actually practicable at this time.
 "The possible increase of the city's revenue by this election is only five mills. The interest on the one million dollar bond issue now paid out of the three-mill tax is $50, ,006 per annum. If the two million dollars in bonds are to be issued for the erection of elsmen- tary school buildings, we will have an added interest account of $100, ,000- making a total interest account of $150, ,000 per annum on school bonds. It is obvious that one and one-ha1f mills will thus be required to be paid out of the city terasury as interest on school bonds. The teachers committee and the board of education are asking that two and one-half mills shall be desig- mated by the commission for the inc crease of teachers salaries. This will make total of four mills to be de- voted to educational purposes, leaving one mill out of the five-mill tax to be used by the commission in meeting the increased expenses of the other de- partments of the city. Tt is estimated that the five-mill levy will increase the total revenue of the city by approxi- ma tely $500,000. Of this amount, $150,- GOO will be required to pay interest on our school bonds, and $250,0 for the increase of teachers salaries, leaving approximately S100,0 900 to be applied to the other arms of municipal service.
 'In our opinion, the request by the board of education and the teachers
 our schools is not unreasonable. They recognize the fact that the entire five mill levy could be used to advantage in the schools at this time. It seems to the teachers committee that ii would be unwise at this time to ask that a larger amount be designated for the purpose of increasing their sal aries, especially in view of the urgent need for additional school accommoda- tions. The two and one-half mills which the city commission is asked to designate for the increase of salaries it Is estimated. will provide an average increase of approximately $250 above the present salary basis for the teachers in the system that are quali- fled. A larger increase is desirable, but we feel that 1t is better to ask the city commission and the people for what is reasonably practicable
 If our schools are to retain the serv- ices of teachers who are best qualified to teach the children of this city, and if vacancies are to be filled with prop erly qualified teachers radical salary increases will be immediately required The situation Is serious. We feel con- fident, however, that an equitable re- quest made by the board of ed lcation and the teachers of the city will meet with favorable response from our