Evening star., 1943-01-16
Early Decision
Is Expected on
District Pay
Senate D. 6. Unit
Hears Several Plans
To Ruise Salaries
BY J. A. OIEARY.

The Senate District Committee Is
expected to reach an early decision
on a pay increase for local police
men, firemen and school teachers.
with several solutions to choose from
as the result of an all-day hearing
yesterday.
The Commissioners offered sub
stitute to limit all three groups to
10 per cent raise on not to ex-
ceed $4,000 of basic salary-placing
them in the class with Federal en-
ployes whose exact hours cannot
be determined for overtime pay
ment.
Commissioner Young made It clear
in his testimony yesterday he was
not supporting the bill now before
the committee, giving policemen and
firemen a S480 raise.
Other Federal personnel, inClud-
ing most departmental employees,
who have been put on 48-hour
week, are eligible for a 216 per
cent raise, based on time and a
quarter for work above 40 hours.
Below McCarran Scale.
The Commissioners plan would
be substantially below the pending
McCarran bills, which, for the du-
ration of the war, would grant po-
licemen and firemen in the maxi
mum grade $3.50 raise, from $4,000
to 50 $780, and a similar raise for
officers; a Is per cent increase for
school teachers, based on the War
Labor Boards formula in the Little
Steel case to meet the rise in liv-
ing cost, and 10 per cent increase
for certain employees of the Board
of Education.
Senator Burton, Republican, OF
Ohio suggested the quickest way
to get action in this Congress for
these three groups who were left
out of the general temporary pay
act of last month would be:
!. To go back to the police-fire
bill the President vetoed and re-
wise it to meet the veto objections.
That would give privates and Of
f1cerS up to captain $500 raise.
limited to the duration of the war,
and without the retroactive feature
III Nl4C NCboCo JILL, IIldJ udbCu tIlC
increase back to last February.
10 Per Cent for Teachers.
2. Give the teachers the 10 per
cent fiat increase until April 80,
when the general Federal pay law
expires, and draft more equitable
teachers salary act in the mean
time, as is slated to be done for
Federal personnel generally.
Chairman McCarran of Nevada
expressed fear that the Commits
sioners' 10 per cent proposal would
not do enough fer those in the low
est entrance brackets in the police,
fire and teaching services. He
pointed out it would be only a $50
increase for the rookie policeman
and firemen and only $40 more
for S1,400 teacher.
DR.. Frank Ballou, superintendent
Of schools, emphasized an urgent
| need for a permanent upward re-
vision OF teachers salaries, pointing
out that 268 teachers have resigned
to take more gainful jobs and 1872
others have been granted military
leave.
3O7 Temporary Teachers.
He said there are BOT temporary
teachers in the schools now. The
problem is not one of a scarcity of
good teachers, said the superin-
tendent, but of their inability to live
on the salaries offered.
A more serious phase of the situa-
ton was DR.. Ballou's prediction of
falling off in candidates for teach
er training schools. He said If the
war lasts three or four years the
schools will not have a roster of
qualified teachers coming UP
through the training schools.
If a temporary measure is to be
passed pending permanent revision,
DR.. Ballou said the School Board
was inclined to go along with the
Commissioners and not insist on any
different treatment for the teachers
than other employees.
DR.. Ballou objected strenuously to
one provision in the teachers tenn
porary Is per cent bill, which sought
to raise the entrance pay of tenn
porary teachers by allowing them to
count experience elsewhere. DR..
Ballou expressed fear it might result
in such teachers being made perma-
nent without going through the
regular examination procedure here,
and lower the standards of the local
system.
Conference Suggested.
MISS Selma Borchardt national
vice president of the American Fed
Grafton of Teachers, said there was
no desire to lower standards, but
1t was felt the provision might at-s
tract some teachers here from areas
where there is no war congestion.
She suggested conference with
school officials to work out differ
ences over that part of the bill.
Advocating the bill as a whole.
Miss Borchardt said teachers sala-
ries have not been increased since
1924, although the professional re-
quirements for appointment have
been raised
A. w. Heinmiller, school budget
officer, estimated the Is per cent
raise for teachers would cost
$1,161 1886.
Spared A. Wood of the Citizens
Forum Of Columbia Heights, sup
ported higher pay for the teach
ers, suggesting 20 per cent instead
of IS. Mrs. Marie Kuldell of the
Progressive Citizens Association of
Georgetown advocated a 5000
emergency bonus for teachers.