Evening star., 1942-08-31
DC. Hardly Touched
By Teacher Shortage
Now Facing Nation
Requirements Needed
In Only Few Coteeories
Here This FoII

AS an Office of Education expert
revealed that the Nation as a whole
Is threatened with a shortage OF
nearly $4,000 teachers this fall, Dis
trict school officials commented to-
day that only in a few scattered
instances of physical education, ma
chine shop and other occupational
categories are they having difficulty
filling vacancies.
The Districts luck in this respect
was explained as the natural re-
suit of the influx of war workers
here. Many of them have wives
who used to teach and some of the
Government wives have husbands
who used to teach. More than 100
already residing here, have been
given temporary appointments to
replace both men and women en-
listing in the armed forces or going
into war industry.
Additional vacancies were created
by teachers of the general sciences
leaving the system for jobs in pri-
vate industry, adding to the usual
total Of those who had to be re-
placed because of retirement, or edu-
cational, health or maternity leave.
Will Give Examination.
The senior high schools need men
to teach physical education, it has
been announced, and a special quail
flying examination for these jobs
will be given at the Franklin School
Wednesday and Thursday. The ele-
mentary schools need occupational
teachers
Throughout the Nation, DR.. Ben
tamin w. Frazier of the Office OF
Education said, the war industries,
armed forces and Government serv-
ices have made terrific drain on
the teaching staffs. Rural areas
particularly are having to compete
with the high salaries and longer
tenure offered by city school sys-
TENS and war industries.
However, the figure of $4,000
teaching vacancies, DR.. Frazier ex-
planned, is apt to be misleading.
Most of the vacancies, he continued,
occur in definite categories closely
connected with the war effort. More
than 1,700 teachers of vocational
agriculture. for instance, have been
blanketed into military service be-
cause they were graduates Of agri-
cultural colleges, land-grant insti-
tutions with compulsory ROTC
training.
Have Transportation Problem.
While languages and the social
science field remain comparatively
well supplied with instructors, DR..
Frazier said, teachers of home eco
nomics. industrial arts, general SCI
ences and business education have
left their teaching jobs in droves.
A few teachers in rural areas can
no longer report to work because
Of the rubber and gasoline shortage.
To cope with the situation, DR..
Frazier said, many States are is
suing teaching certificates to IS and
l9-year-old high school graduates
Maj Gen. Lewis B. Hershey of Sc
lective Service took a hand in the
problem by warning wives with no
children that they had better find
jobs because their husbands soon
would be In the Army.
One Of the main issues raised by
the threatened shortage, Dr. Frazier
commented, is the old problem of
the comparatively low salaries paid
to teachers. States with the most
vacancies, he said. are Tennessee,
Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Ken
lucky. Mississippi, North and South
Dakota and South Caroline, which
pay an average monthly salary of
$77.42 or less.