Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-02-26
14O,OOO TEACHERS QUIT
PROFESSION LAST YEAR
Superintendents, in Convention
Urge Increased Pay to Save
Educational System.

Cleveland. Feb. 26.-Reports from
l,7q2 public school superlntendents IN
forty-eight States. made-public yesterday
at the Convention OF the Department
of Superintendents. National Education
Association. show these conditions In the
nationwide shortage of teachers
One hundred and forty thousand quit
the teaching profession last year.
Thirty-tive thousand school rooms,
without teachers, failed TO open their
doors for the fall term.
Sixty-hve thousand more school rooms
filed by teachers, temporarily certihed-
that is below regular teacher standards.
Nine hundred and eighty-eight teachers
in New York City alone have dropped
out since last September to take more
remunerative positions.
Normal school enrollments have fallen
of so per cent the last year, while colleges
and univerSitics.are crowded.
Teachers salaries have increased from
20 to so per cent since before the war,
while values in terms of currency have
doubled.
Statistics Of the school teacher survey
conducted by the National Education
Association were told by Hugh 5. Magill,
Field Secretary, principal speaker at
luncheon of the patrons department
In Hotel Winton.
''Thc whole situation is an economic
result of the war;" Magill said. Teach
ers' salaries before the war were low.
The same money now has only one-half
its purchasing value. Teachers salaries
have not kept pace with living costs. The
result is flowing of teachers out OF the
teaching profession INTO other callings.
Wages must be made sufficient 10
nDd
as teachers and to attract the countrys
best and ablest talent, TO the end that our
school system will he established on a
sound economic basis In the future.
Msgill said pay increases must come
from three 'sollrces-the local COM
munity, the State, where new laws should
be passed or constitutional amendments
made, and the nation.
The Smith-Towner bill, Magill said,
would be the biggest step in the di-
rection of better salaries for the teachers.
The bill now In committee provides for
a Secretary of Education in the cabinet
and provides S100,00O,000 annually for
educational extension work under State
management. DR.. William Ettinger, Su-
perintendent OF Schools, New York City,
who also addressed the delegates to-
day, indorsed the Smith-Towner bill.
A resolution to appoint commls-
sion for a national survey Of teach
ers' salary schedules will be presented
to the Department of Superintendence
by the Resolution Committee Friday,
according to a suggestion OF J. ". With
ers, Superintendent of Public lnstruc-
ton, ST. Louis.
Speakers today severely criticised Con-
gress for delay in passing the Smith
Towner bill which would add Secretary
of Education to the Presidents Cabinet
and appropriate Sl00,00O,000 annually
for schools Methods OF bringing pressure
to bear on Congress to force passage OF the
measure were discussed.
Plans for combating Bolshevlsm through
use of school buildings for community
center meetings and through American
ization work in the schools were discussed
by the Community Centers Association
and the Rural Education Department.
Sex education in home and school was
considered again by the American School
OF Hygiene Association.
Walter J. Martin Gets Promotion. !
Walter ]. Martin, local representative
of the Home Life Insurance Company of
America, has been selected for the posi-
ton of assistant superintendent for the
Wilmington district, to take effect week
of March s. Mr.. Martin has been en-
ployed by the company for the past
three years, and during that time has
made an enviable record.