Belington progressive. [volume] (Belington, W. Va.) 1912-1927, 1923-04-12
ARE TEACHERS SALARIES TOO
HIGH?
BY W W. Trent, El5,rs j,

BY w w. Tren., EI'l,rs,
Last summer. 1922, teacher in
Fairmont Normal School was making
purchases in a large department.
store at Fairmont. One of the man.
a.~ers, whom he LEV we'll asked:
What do you get per week for
ysrr work at the Normal,'
Forty dollars was the reply.
why" replied the merchant, 1--WE
pay our delivery men more than that
At that time the writer was teach
ing at $4,000 per week in the Glen
vile Normal. A colored man, plast-
erer, working in the same building
was receiving $4,000 per week. I, as
a school man, having spent four
years in college to receive my A. B.
degree and one year in college to re-
ceive my Masters debree, was re-
ceiving, therefore 50. per week more
as return for my five years in coll
lege, which cost me $500 to $1,000 er
year. On the lowest estimate, SE00
these five years cost me: $500. Con-
sidering that I am worth 5000 per
week, or 104.00 per year more be-
cause of going to college, I must
teach twenty-four years before hav-
ing any advantage over the plaster
er, maxim no consideration for the
wage might have received in those
five years spent in college During
his apprenticeship the plasterer most
likely received salary equal to or
above his current expense.
A day laborer about the mines gets
$3.50 per day for eight hours day.
By working ten days he earns $500
twenty days, $4,000; and twenty
six days $4,000. A first grade teach
er without experience gets $500 a
month. A term of eight months
makes her annual salary $68UOO.
After an experience, of ten years
she earns s105.00 per month. But
even that rate does not make her
salary equal to the salary of the
day laborer about the mines, who
works two-thirds of his time.
Some statements have been made
in West Virginia papers intended
evidently, to have the public infer
that schools are costing too much.
As salaries of teachers have BEEN
quoted and length of term given in
this connection, one may infer that
these individuals would have salar-
les reduced and terms shortened. In
these articles care was taken to give
salaries of teachers but not to give
salaries of stenographers and clerks
employed by the state in Charleston
and elsewhere. The Audit of Finan-
ces of West Virginia reveal that sal
aries of stenographers. vary from
$l10 to $155, and that the cost of
some of>the departments of Charles
ton would provide teachers Of first
grade certificates for all children in
counties the size of Hardy, ...lcas-
ants, Gilmer, Wyoming. At 800 per
month and for eight months in the
year the cost of the Tax Commits
sioners dice, $142,815.64, would pro-
vide teachers for $40 children, al
lowing thirty children to teacher.
On. the same basis the Department
OF Agriculture at Charleston, costing
$As3 ,237.67, would provide teachers
for 1870 children; the State Board of
Children's Guardians costing S34,-
767.48, teachers for 1890 children;
the Department of Mines costing,
Sl15,33i.36, teachers for 1920 chill
dren. We are not attempting to say
that stenographers and clerks in the
partments are paid too much, but we
are attempting to say that teachers
salaries are not too high.
We have quoted teachers salaries
at $500. This slargy, by-the-way, is
the present salary paid normal school
graduates To determine the justice
Of this salary for normal school gra-
duates two big factors ought to be
cnsidered-the cost of preparation
and the cost Of Twin while teaching
From the actual expense accounts Of
thirty students at the Fairmont Nor
NAL school, made 1T the end Of the
first half year 1922-1923, the aver
age yearly cost for those thirty stu
ents is shown to be $400, not includ-
ing clothing and $500 including cloth
ing. The items Of expense in this
budget are tuition, school supplies,
car fare, board and room, laundry,
doctor, dentist, and amusements. On
this basis the two years in normal
school required after high school
graduation costs on the average $12-
90 per student.
II these students can live as cheap
" when they 60 out to teach as they