Evening star., 1933-02-05
COMM|1TEEPLANS
SCHOOL COST Study
Maryland Senate Group to
Hear State Head at
Hearing.
By a star Correspondent of The star.

By Star Correspondent Of The Star.
ANNAPOLIS. Nd, February with
several suggestions for cutting the State
school budget before it. the Senate
Finance Committee is sch heduled to con.
duct hearing with State Superintend-
ent Of Schools Albert s. Cook explain.
ing the various educational items Tues.
day afternoon.
Supt Cook and Gov. Ritchie have
already cut the school budget more
than 81 100000, but there seems to be
widespread sentiment among the SEN
ators in favor of further slashes.
Among the proposals laid before the
Finance Committee for the purpose Of
further cutting the school budget are
the closing Of one or more of the
the teachers retirement system and
the discontinuance of certain special
teachers.
Seeks One Schools Closing.
A bill has already been presented
in the Senate which would require
the State school authorities to close
one of the white normal schools. The
most inexpensive normal school in the
s5ae that at TssSTe' h an
this entire amount could not be saved
if the school were closed because some
OF the students, perhaps most Of them,
would enroll in one Of the other two
normal schools, increasing the cost Of
operating them.
Senator Dudley Roe Of Queen Anne
County has advanced the proposal to
abolish the teachers retirement system.
Money already paid into the teachers
retirement fund would be returned to
the contributors. with interest, while
the States contribution to the fund up
to the present time would be used TO
pay those teachers already retired un-
der this plan.
The legality of the plan has been
questioned and 1t is also pointed out
that Baltimore City receives $500, 900
a year from the State for its teachers
retirement fund and II this were dis.
continued the city tax rate would In
crekse about five cents.
The plans to eliminate special teach.
ers Gre aimed particularly at instruc.
tors N home economies and manual
training. Here again the State would
not receive the full benefit Of the ap-
preparation for those teachers, first be-
cause they are partially paid through
Federal funds and second because their
classes would be converted into AGA.
demic courses, requiring more teachers
of academic subjects.
The present school budget as drafted
by Gov. Richie. Supt. Cook and Di.
rector Walter Kirkman provides for
10 per cent cut in the salaries Of all
school teachers and county school ON
cials. reduces the appropriations for
the normal schools for vocational edu.
cation and numerous other items.
End Of Cuts Is Seen.
State Senator Lansdale G. Sasscer
of Prince Georges County. chairman Of
the Finance Committee. said that, with
the exception Of the abolition of some
position in the educational department
and various cuts, the administration
believes. there cannot be any further
reductions in the appropriations for
those departments without possibly
stultifying their work.
Figures compiled by the budget clerks
receive less than $500 year and that
682 others receive less than $1,000 and
these two groups constitute four-flfthS
Of the tctal State employees.
This means" Senator Sasscer said,
that if any substantial amount IS to
be realized bv further salary cuts. in
addition to the 10 per cent already
provided for in the budget, it would
have to be taken from those groups.
Even il SENATOR ]. Allan Ccad's scale
of salary reductions to State employees.
which ranges from 10 to 25 per cent,
was applied. the total additional saw
ings on the State tax rate would be
less than one-haf cent"