The public ledger. [volume] (Maysville, Ky.) 1913-1968, 1922-05-22
SUPT. COLVN MAKES
PLEA FOR EFFICIENCY
IN TEACHING FORCES
State Superintendent Of Education
Fav0rs Retrenchement But Not ut
The Expense Of Efficiency
In Teachers.

Stae Superintendent Colvin has ad-
dressed the following letter to super
intendents and members of board Of
education throughout the state:
Good schools are not possible with
out good teachers. 1t is is not possible
to secure good teachers unless we are
willing to pay them at least living
wage. Teachers, the nation over, have
generally been underpaid. In Ken
lucky we have always been far below
the national average. Dut to the low
salaries paid three years ago Ken
lucky faced a teacher shortage Of g.
$50 according to the report by the Fed
eral Bureau. To supply this shortage
two years ago, the Legislature in
creased the minimum salary of teach
ers from forty-five to seventy-five dol
lars. To raise the funds to meet this
increase in salary a local tax was
provided and made compulsory. As a
result, teacher shortage Of $3.50
was converted into a teacher surplus.
AS a further result, more than 1000
of our teachers attended summer
school last year. We weer able also
to induct many of our brightest young
man and women to prepare for the
teaching profession with the assur-
ance that at last the teaching profess
sion would provide decent salary.
Now we are in danger of losing
whatever we have gained from the in
crease in salary. County board OF ed
ucation and graded school boards OF
education and city school boards OF
education are all confronted with the
necessity of practicing strictest econ
omy. In many districts retrenchment
is inevitable Many well conceived
plans for the improvement of our
schools must be abandoned temporar-
lily because of lack Of funds. Our eco
nomic situation demands that we shall
keep the expenditures as low as pos
sible. We must not, however, in our
desire to economic lower teachers
salaries. To do this would be no econ
omy, but would on the contrary be
profligate waste. The addition OF n
seventh month to the school term IN
MANY counties will make 1t impossi-
BILE to meet the salary schedule of last
wear. I nthese counties there seems
to be no escape from reduction OF
salary. We may expect in these coun-
ties not only a shortage of teachers
Int that the schools that are taught
will be less efficiently taught. We
must remember always that the mat
ter Of teachers salaries Is definitely
linked with .the question Of prepare
ton and living expenses. No teacher
can be expected to keep herself up to
standard in teh educational field I'M
less she is able to attend summer
school at least once ii three eayrs. She
must be adequatel paid to the end
that she can improve her condition
desire to urge as strongly as possible
that boards everywhere maintain
teachers salaries up to present stand
ards at least.
In its report, the Survey Commits
sion uses the following language: so
long as such low salaries prevail, par
ticularly in the rural sections, young
men and women will not prepare
themselves thoroughly for teaching.
Unless the wages for well-trained
teachers are materially advanced
Kentucky's school will continue to be
in the hands Of teachers who know
little NOR than the brighter children
in the school, and teachers will con-
tinue to teach only until they can find
something else to do"
I share with the boards their desire
to retrench and to economize but 1t
must not be done at the expense OF
teaching ability if we would improve
or even hold our schools to the present
standard.
Very sincerely yours,
Cr.N NnI WIN