The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-01-17
Superintendent Says Teach CTS Are Underpaid, But Their Organization Should Be Absolutely Independ- ent.

tendent of schools, yesterday
 afternoon held a conference of
 all the principals and super
 visors of the Birmingham pub | lie schools at which he ad-
 dressed them on the matter of increased salaries for the teach
 CTS and the methods of obtain ing such increases.
 Following the conference. Dr. Phil lips consented to make a formal state-
 ment on the subject in reply to in- quiries as to his attitude on the mat
 ters involved in the recent discussion. In the first place. while taking the initial ground that the teachers were l entitled to increased salaries. Dr. Phii- lips said there seemed to be an impress sion that no salary increases had been
 made during recent years.
 s'The salaries of teacbcrs.- said pr. Phillips. mot only in birminS- ham. but throughout the country, have always been ridiculously low. But 1t k only within the past three years that the contrast with other salaries has become so giaring. Until about dozen years ago the minimum salary in the elementary
 schools was $40 per month. or s3oo per year of nine school months. The maximum was $50 per month. The
 minimum was then increased to S50
 per month. and the maximum to $90, or s450 and $S10. These limits were
 maintained until about three years
 ago when the minimum and maximum
 were raised to s60 and $100, or so4o
 and $500. Last May new schedule was adopted. fixing the minimum at
 s6So and the maximum at 5000. These figures were the basis of this year contracts.
 INCREASE IN DECEMBER I 'In December in response to re- quest made bv the committee repre- senting the teachers, the minimum rate was raised to SIS0 and the max imum to s11oO. beginning with Janu- ary. 1920.
 The percentage of increase dur ing the past three years has been about 73 per cent on the minimum salary and about 36 per cent on the maximum salary.
 'In order to make this last increase, the city commissioners authorized the board to borrow s40,000. to be paid out of next years revenues. The trouble may be easily seen. The school reve- nues have not increased in the same proportion as our expenditures. These facts will serve as an answer to those who charge that the salaries have not been advanced al all. and will also show that they have not kept pace with the increase in cost of living, "Coming into close touch with the teachers of the schools as I do, l real ize their need of larger remuneration 1 as few others can. At the same time I fully sympathize with the City Gem mission and the board of education in their efforts to maintain the various departments of the city within me limits of the wretchedly small reve- nues provided by our present made quate tax rate.
 ATTITUDE OF PUBLIC "rhe remedy is, first of all. sympathetic attitude towards the | schools by the public at large md the practical expression of that sympathy by the increase of tax ation Sympathetic words avail nothing so long our people are unwilling to vote an increase in the revenue.
 "There are too many people in thls city who will talk glibly and sympa- thetically about increasing the salaries of teachers. but at the polls some or these people have consistently voted against every increase proposed in the tax rate. Only few weeks ago many precincts in the city boiled majority against the tax amendment and it car ried in the city only by a small ma jority. It is this sorl of inconsistency and apathy that have tried the pa tience of the teachers beyond endur- ance and provoked some of them to take drastic action that would not otherwise be contemplated. If all who express themselves in. favor of increas- ing the salaries of our teachers had taken more interest in efforts to ln- crease school revenues the teachers of Birmingham and of Alabama would now be receiving adequate salaries" AFFILIATE WITH FEDERATION Regarding the present movement to affiliate the teachers with the Amer ican Federation of Labor. the superin- tendent said.