The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1932-05-11
200 Bid for Jobs in
Grass Lake District
Teachers Are Hired For Salary
of $45 a Month After All.
Night Session
MANY STATES REPRESENTED
Saxvik, Education Association
Head, Asserts Practice
Will Not Last

In session all night considering
more than 200 bids from teacher ap-
plicants living in eight states and
Canada. the Grass Lake school board
early wednesday selected teachers
for three of it's four schools for next
year.
Each of the winning applicants
submitted salary bid of $45 month
and their qualifications were found
satisfactory by the school board
Oscar Backman. president, said.
Bids ranged from $50 to 500 a
month. and came from New York,
Florida, Washington, Missouri, Mon
tana, Minnesota. North and South
Dakota, and Canada.
Outside Of saying that the state
law requires that teachers be paid at
least $45 month. w. E. Parsons, de-
putty state superintendent of public
instruction, refused to comment on
the Grass Lake procedure, saying
that statutes permit school boards to
select their teachers in such a man.
ner.
Practice Is Scored
"The American public will not
stand for such practice for long,
H. o. Saxvik. superintendent of Bis
marck'S public schools and president
of the North Dakota Education as
ISOLATION. said upon learning of the
action. Under such a system, salary
rather than the teachers qualifica-
tions. Is the principal basis for the
selection. Consideration of the cllild's
welfare necessarily is subordinated
to financial bargain under the pro-
cedure."
SaXvik said he expected the state
educational association and other
educational organizations to take a
firm stand against advertising for
bids from teachers. Grass Lake is
the first school district in North Da-
kota to select its teachers by such a
lplan.
Miss Bertha r. Palmer. state su-
|perintendent of public instruction
and Miss Marie Huber, Burleigh
county superintendent Of schools
were out Of the city Wednesday and
!could not be reached for comment.
Teachers who will be awarded con-
tracts by the Grass Lake board are
Alice Johnson, residing on a farm
near Wilton, school No. /: Katterena
Carte, Argusville, school No. Q; and
CorDevee Richard, Wilton, school No
g.
District Near Wilton
Grass Lake township is In the
northwestern part of Burleigh coun-
ty. near Wilton. Backman said a
teacher for the districts fourth
school was not selected since the
board is not yet certain that the
school will be open next year.
Scores OF letters asking for inform
alton began arriving in Bismarck and
Wilton after the first advertisement
for bids was published in the Bis
marck Tribune several weeks ago
More than 40 letters were received by
the county superintndnt of schools
alone.
The Grass Lake board, of which
Backman, John P. johnson and
Oscar Erickson are members with
Vernon Nordquist as clerk, went into
session at 8 o'clock Tuesday eve
ming and did not complete its work
until 6 o'clock Wednesday morning.
Ecklund school district, also in
Burleigh county, has advertised for
bids IN similar fashion. These bids
will be opened in July.
Says Tax Rates Low
Saxvik said the tax burdens In
Grass Lake and Ecklund school dis
tricts are not unduly heavy at pres
ent In comparison with levies in 9TH
er school districts of the county.
Only three other districts have as
low levies as these two, the Bismarck
superintendent said. The levy in
Grass Lake Is 7.06 mills while that in
Ecklund is 4.52 mills, he said, while
the law allows a maximum levy of IA
mills.
Twenty-olle school districts in the
county levy the maximum, Saxvik
said.