The gazette-times. [volume] (Heppner, Or.) 1912-1925, 1920-05-20
ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS
SHORT Of TEACHERS

That the people of Oregon are
keenly interested in the passage Of
the bill which provides for two mill
tax levy for the support and main
tenance Of the elementary schools of
the state is attested by hundreds of
organizations that have given it un
animous endorsement and the hun
dreds of people who are deyoting
their time to the furtherance of its
success.
Mrs. Alexander Thompson. Ore
CONS only woman legislator, who Is
the author OF the bill, says in speak
ing of 1t. "There is a shortage of
100000 school teachers in the coun-
try and of this number Oregon has
her full quota, our shortage being
500, A total of 230 school rooms
are locked and bolted because there
are no teachers; 1900 Oregon child
rem lack school facilities, and unless
there Is relief by the voting of this
measure lllt Huilbtl wiz w uptbiNd
next year. The number Of teachers
leaving Oregon schools to go into
other professions has more than
doubled during the era of the high
cost OF living. The increase in liv-
ing costs during the period are esti-
mated at from IS per cent to "a per
Tonphnru la rinc hava in
creased less than rs per cent. Nor
NAL schools and teacher training
schools show decrease in attend
ance Of 80 per cent"
In western Oregon there are
many so-called poverty districts, 965
OK which have an annual school rev.
enue of less than $500. Lane county
has 124 such districts; Marion, IS;
Washington, ~; Douglas, S5; Lin
coin, Al and even urban Multnomah
has nine such districts. Where popu-
lation or taxable wealth is scant it Is
with difficulty that schools are sup
ported. In these districts the rate
of taxation is very high, some of them
valuing education enough to tax
themselves as high as so mills. In !
other districts less public spirited
schools are either closed or are pre-
sided over by totally incompetent
teachers
In 81 counties of Oregon there
are 2204 rural teachers who for this
years school work are drawing an
average wage of $734.22. OF this
number 902 draw less than $500 a
year and GAL DRAW only $500 year, |
the minimum lawful wage for eight
months of school work. OF 965 rur-
al school districts 446 have total
revenue of less than $500, the aver
age being $59S or insufficient to pay
the $500 minimum wage for one tea
cher for each district. These are
pre-war salaries and low ones at that.
1t is impossible to live on them now.
Washington contributes $34 per
census child to the education OF her
children; Oregon contributes $11.S3.
Both Washington and California pay
better salaries than Oregon. Hence
the desirable teachers are being call
ed out Of the state. The WAR taught
us q great lesson concerning litter
acy and un-Americanism. Twenty
four and nine-tenths per cent of our
soldiers could not read or write. Boil
shevism and ignorance can only be
counteracted by good public school
system. The foundations of democ-
racy rest upon an intelligent citizen
ship. Your vote in the Elementary
Educational Bill is test of your cit
izenship.
"The whole aim Of the bill is equal
ization and every county receives
back every cent that they pay into
the fund. There is now more than
$42,000,0O0 worth of property in
Oregon which escapes taxation for the
support of the elementary schools be-
cause 1t Is outside Of any school dis
trict. II this measure is passed this
property will be compelled to bear Its
share and more than $4,000 will