Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1920-03-20
GENERAL INCREASE FOR TEACHERS NEXT
 YEAR IS INITIATED
President F.. A. Howell Says Such Action is Prob
 able
NEW SCHOOL TO BE
 BUILT THIS SUMMER
S4O,OO0 Building is to be Erected at Twenty Fourth and l.in den--Remodel Junior
 High

] A general increase in salary for the teachers of the public schools of fIne Bluff IS intimated in state ment last night by E. A. Howell president of the Pine Bluff school board, when he said it was his be. lief that the school board would raise the salaries of the public school teachers for the coming school year rms statement was made following a meeting of the trustees of the Chamber of Commerce yesterday at noon at which the members of the school board were guests, and during which Mr. Howell and other mem bers of the board discussed the fin. ahc'al situation of the school board. and gave other data concerning the plans and aims for the public schools.
 MT. Howell said last night that there was no doubt but that the pub. ilc school teachers merited q raise m salary to correspond in some measure to the mounting cost of liv ing, but he said he was unable to determine just how much the school board could afford.
 When asked if the school board contemplated any resignation from teachers because of the inadeouacv of the salary paid them. he said the board did not anticipate anything of this sort. Salaries had been raised rom time to time at past meetings of the board, he stated.
 Plan New School.
 At the trustees meeting vesterdav MT. Howell mentioned the plan of the school board to erect school building at q cost of S4O.OOO ot Twenty-fourth and Linden to take care of the children of that section of the city who are now attendinp Lakeside, Sixth avenue, and the Sam Taylor schools. This building will be modelled somewhat after the Pine street school, and construction will probably begin early in the summer following the end of school.
 The Junior High school, built in i9of at cost of about $105,OOO, will be improved this summer, Mir. Howell stated. The auditorium. oc. cupying large part of the second and third floors, will be utilized With seven or eight class rooms, since the large auditorium in the Central High school makes the former one unnecessary. This work will cost about $10,O0O.
 In the course of his talk, Mir. Howell gave some school statistics, showing that in 1910, there were 176 students at the High school, while 4 sum of $22 is being spent on each student here, against $50 in Little Rock. During the time of his incum- bency as president, he stated re- pairs had been made on the First Ward and Lakeside schools, while the Central High school, Riverside, and Sam Taylor had been erected
 Salaries Here.
 Statistics on the salary of teachers showed that they ranged from a minimum of $75 to $20O for princi- pals of grammar schools. The aver age salary paid High school teachers was $15O a month, he said, while $l1O to $l15 was the average paid Junior High school teachers, and $85 to grade teachers. MT. Howell spoke favorably of the competence of the Pine Bluff teachers. and this was seconded by Dr. J. I. Norris and w. D. Jones, while Rev. K. R. Steel spoke in favor of an increase in salary for teachers. E. B. Bloom and M. C.. Hollis suggested that fund be crea- ted by voluntary assessments by a group of 250 public spirited men, but Judge Jones, member of the board suggested the preferable way would be to create sentiment among local people for assessing their property and possessions fully 75 per cent in- stead of below 50 per cent, which he said was prevailing present assess ment figure. H. B. Strange, Will Nichol, and Dr. Vim. Breathwit, all members of the board, spoke briefly.