The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1929-03-05
S5-A-DAY PAY
PROPOSED TO
AID SCHOOLS
Senate Speeds Bill to Solve
Salary Problem for
Poor Districts.
RADICAL CHANGE URGED
Measure Would Abolish
Present System of
State Help.

A bill which would revolutionize
the system of paying teachers in
every Indiana public school was be-
ing rushed to a vote in the Indiana
state senate today.
Senators were making desperate
effort to solve the problem of state
school aid. Unless something is
done, they agree, dozens of southern
Indiana schools must continue the
hand-to-mouth policy of schools in
shacks with teachers whose n1eager
salaries sometimes go unpaid as long
as year.
The bill, introduced by Senator
Alonzo H. Lindley of Kingman,
/, would abolish the present state aid
system, whereby the state gives sums
based on population to counties
whose taxation valuations are too
low to produce enough revenue to
keep up decent schools.
The system has not worked out
because of unwise administration OF
the fund, Eindley charges. He said
the result has been that some un-
deserving schools have received aid
while the poorer schools do not get
enough.
AbOIishes Present System
Lindley's bill, which was intro
duced and rushed through to print
ing this morning and may get to its
first test later in the day, would
abolish the whole state aid system.
In its place the bill substitutes fat
minimum wage of $5 day to be
paid to every teacher for eight
months a year.
The wealthier communities which
now pay teachers far above $5 Gay
could continue to do SO by paying
the amount above $5 a day. The
various school units now pay the
teachers the entire salary direct.
Under the new system, for IN
stance. Indianapolis teachers, the
highest paid in the state, would get
SIS a day from the state and the rest
from the school city.
Special Levy Needed
Lindley's bill creates board of
control consisting of the state audi
tor, superintendent Of public IN
struction and the three state tax
commissioners. Assisted by local
school officials this board would
make a survey each year to deter
mine the amount of funds necessary
to pay the SIS day to each teacher.
These figures would be used by the
state tax board in making the spe-
cial school levy.
The state school levy now is z
cents. Under the state aid law 30
per cent of this goes to the weaker
schools.
Lindley estimated that a special
levy of 81 cents would be necessary
to pay the $5 a day salary, which
would mean an increase of 27 cents
in the general tax levy. The general
lavy for the state now is % cents.
First Payments in July
The huge addition to the state
tax levy does not mean that much
additional taxation for every tax
payer, Lindley pointed out. 1t mere
ly means the shifting of part of the
taxation for teachers salaries from
the school unit levies to the state
levy.
The bill provides that the reve-
nue. from the SO a day. tax be
distributed twice a year to the
school units and the school units
then will pay the teachers their
salaries monthly, all in one check,
as they now do. The bill would
become a law when the acts Of 1929
are published, which would make
the first payment to the school units
due in July this year. That would
put the new system into effect when
school reopens this fall.