Evening star., 1924-03-30
BLANT0N TO FIGHT .
SCHOOL HEADS PAY
Backs Teachers Scale, But
Scores That of Officials
in Minority Report.


last night, Representative Thomas l..
Blanton, democrat of Texas barely
got in under the wire with his mi
nority report on the teachers salary bill
which comes up for consideration in
the House tomorrow.
Representative Blanton, while en-
phatically supporting the increases
for the teachers, takes general and
specific exception to the increases
provided for the officials and admin
istrative officers. especially the Su
perintendent of Schools.
He predicates this opposition on the
fact that the District commissioners,
replying to a letter from Chairman
Reed of the House District committee,
referring to the Keller bill, stated
that it has been submit ii 20 The
budget bureau which, und"r date of
February %, replied that it was in
conflict with the financial policy Of
the President.
Wants Figure Within Budget.
Representative Blanton said that he
was striving to bring the bill! within
the budget limitations by reducing
the salaries of the officials. He COM
pared the Reed bill which the Com
missioners reported, represents q
joint agreement between the budget
bureau, the board of education and
the Commissioners of the District of
Colum bia," and shows in his report
that while the salaries in the Keller
bill for the teachers are only $500 or
$500 higher than in the Reed bill, the
bulk of increases are for the officials.
He registered his intention to pro-
pose a series of amendments on the
floor as the salaries OF the officials
come up in turn. Discussing the sal
ary of the superintendent of schools,
Representative Blantons report says:
Cites Extra Pay.
while the substantive law pxfnitS
a salary of only $1,000 per year TO be
paid to the superintendent of SCH ools,
an extra 1000 per year has been paid
him through provision placed in the
appropriation bill each year FOR sew
eral years past So that while under
the law he has been authorized to re-
ceive only $1,000, the Congress has
nevertheless paid him $4,000 per year
for two or three years past.
THE bill proposes to pay Supt.
Ballou $4,000, which is s2,500 more
than a congressman receives and
s2,500 more than senator of the
United States receives. This should
not be allowed. Each year for several
years it has been threatened by those
who insisted on paying the extra
raise his salary We would lose him,
but he has continued on for several
years and we haven't lost him yet.
Under no circumstances should his
salary be fixed at a sum greater than
that $500. If We should be so unfor-
tunate as to lose Mr.. Ballou, there
will be plenty of excellent talent and
material to select another superin-
tendent within the salary limits. AS
my colleagues have fixed the salaries
of all the administrative officers at
much higher figures than they should
be, I want to call attention to what
our constituents at home think about
this question of raising salaries"
Compared to Governors' Salary.
Representative Blanton then gives
the name of the governors of twenty
eight states who do not get more
than $4,000 per year, and the names
of the governors of seven other states
who do not receive over $1,000 per year.
Hence you will see," continues
Representative Blanton, that the
governors of thirty-five states OF this
union now reveive salaries ranging
between SO 900 and $1,000. and yet my
in this bill are proposing
to raise the salary ofSthis school su-
perintendent from $4,000 to $4,000.
l am against 1t, because I know the
people back home are against it in at
least thirty-flYe out. of the forty
eight states"
In regard to the salary of the first
assistant superintendent, Representa-
tive Blanton calls attention that the
maximum salary in both the Reed and
Keller bills is $4,000, while he argues
that the basic salary should be $500,
with an increase of 500 year for
ten years.
Opposes Other Scale.
Under no circumstances should the
salaries provided for in the commit
tee bill be granted TO assistant super
intendents," he declares 1T is out
of all proportion to salaries paid to
other important public officials. Ger
tain trial judges in most of the states
do not receive more than $4,000, and
they try men for their lives and try
civil cases involving millions of dol
lars in property rights"
While the. Reed and Keller bills
pJo hn rroo " INN yYY a n
assistant superintendents at $4,7o0.
Representative Blanton urges that
the basic salary should be $1,000. with
an increase of 800 a year for eight
years up to Ga maximum s,Ian h,5l Of 1900. .id
'there will be paid to colored ex-
aminers $4,000 per year, or $500 per
year more than the governors of
seven states and that much more
than the circuit trial judges of most
of the states now receive"
VIII Seek Changes.
Representative Blanton, in his mi
nority report, similarly discusses the
salaries in the Reed and Keller bills
provided for supervising principals,
directors of special subjects and de-
parments, principals of senior high
schools and normal schools, princi-
pals of junior high schools, admins
trative principals of vocational and
Americanization schools. arguing that
in each case the salaries Proposed
should be cut down, and stating that
he viii offer amendments from the
floor to reduce these ''unwarranted
raises"
Represen tative Blanton emphasizes,
however, that he favors the increases
proposed in the Keller bill for the
actual teachers, saying II am in favor
of granting the raises to all the ac-
tual teachers who really perform the
work in the school room and the
never ending home work which all
good teachers must do If they are
conscientious in performing their du-
ties"