Evening star., 1920-01-17
SCHOOL CAMPAIGN
PLAN Progressing
Betterment Council May
! Meet Monday to Consider
! DEVELOPMENTS.

Plans for the public school improve
ment campaign and for securing an
emergency salary increase for teachers
10 relieve temporary hardship. are ad-
rancing satisfactorily. according to
Charles I. Corby. president of the
school betterment council. with regard
to the first. and Stephen f. Kramer.
assistant superintendent of schools,
with regard to the second enterprise.
The executive committee of the coun-
Gil will meet Monday. probably, to
consider plans of action which Mr..
Corby will submit after consultation
with educational experts and with
members of Congress. Nearly twenty
applications from various organiza-
tons of men and women. for member
ship in the betterment council. will be
passed upon at the same meeting.
1t is possible, though not likely
from. the outlook today. that the
salary subcommittee of the council
will have before it Monday a tenta-
five draft of the teachers emergency
salary bill. now being prepared under
direction of Il special committee OF
the board of education by Mr.. Kra-
mcr. R. o. Wilmarth and D. J. Dono-
van, District auditor.
Several drafts Were drawn up. The
latest one. simpler than it's forerun-
ners. is now being revised. 1t may
go to the board Monday. DR.. Van
Schaick, president of the board. said he
would call a special meeting for the pur-
pose of studying the measure.
This measure is based on salary
schedule "a" submitted by the board
to the joint committee on reclassi-
fication of salaries. The text of this
schedule recently was published. AS
a result of the study of it by teach
ers. requests for alterations have
been made to Or. Van Schaick.
Says Schedule "a" Discriminates.
ola ri hot sob I,tIn lir
eliminates against high school teach
ers a delegation of fifteen from the
High School Teachers Union. headed
by Miss Alice Deal and Miss Elizabeth
Hummer, has called on DIR. Van
Schaick at his home. Through him
the board was requested to increase
the maximum teacher salary in the
schedule from S2.5OO to $4,000.
Miss L. +. G. Merritt. director of
primary instruction in the colored
would provide equal pay for both
white and colored teachers doing the
same kind of work. Speaking for the
board, DIR. Van Schaick said unfair
discrimination would be eliminated
when the emergency bill is revised.
Mr.. Corby said today he has been
quietly studying various suggested
plans of making a school betterment
campaign for the -four points" He
has discussed conditions and proposals
with members or Congress, Win local
and with outside experts in school
matters of all phases.
81 think We have now in mind the
plan we will use. I'm not ready yet
for it's publication, but the executive
committee of the council will take it
up. probably Monday.
II have learned that members of
Congress are very much alive to the
Districts school needs. And ! have
learned further that they are well in
touch with the serious school si.ua-
tion all over the country. When We
go to Congress we are going TO deal
with a group of men thoroughly in
formed and heartily interested"
To Address Monday Evening Club.
Mr. Corby and DR.. Arthur Ramsey
of the executive committee will speak
at the next meeting of the Monday
Evening Club about school better
ment plans.
Nearly all the civic associations and
the District Congress of Mothers and
Parent Teacher Associations have
been asked to join the betterment
council. With regard to this, Mr.
Corby emphasized that personal self
interest neighborhood politics ard
jealousies must be left out of the
campaign efforts.
"All Washington must speak and
act as one person if we are to puI
our school system in the high posi-
ton where it belongs" he said.