The Wilmington morning star., 1946-12-14
Letter Box
FACTS ABOUT TEACHING
(Heprinted from Charlotte obssrr.,

The Classroom Teachers NJ cou
cord, North Carolina wish 10 ou
press appreciation and grstitnd.
for the interest you have show ~
the recent crusade for higba.
teacher salaries.
For too long, the public has nrid
ed itself on the rising total sum NJ
money spent on education II =
true that more millions are beirs
spent on education this year tb.e
ever before in the history 81 ~.
state. However, the public nns.
realize that the past ten year, b..
brought with it a broadening con'
cept Of the "spread of education"
Today we educate the "massesp
through the high school level. Tbi,
is a concept no nation in the HE.
tory Of the world has attemnts,
before, and this spread" 10 vas,
numbers Of boys and girls ac.
counts greatly for the added mil.
lions necessary to the state bud.
get. A higher standard Of living
meaning higher prices - account,
for the rest. The teachers still rom.
plain Of salaries because their in.
dividual real income has mt II.
creased. Legislators have Overlook.
ed the fact that the cost Of ANY,
business must be broken down into
individual units and those unit
compared with prevailing costs if
real income" increase is IN be
counted fairly. 81, 1000 spread anong
a hundred units represents M
more actual money than slM
spread among ten units. A work.
ing democracy requires education
for the masses. If the state wishes
to maintain what we have accus.
toned to call our standard of liv.
ing, then the state should nav I'M
its decision.
Acting in the belief that there
are still many facts concerning in.
dividual teacher pay that would
not be tolerated by a thinking citi.
zenship were they more known.
we submit the following list:
1. That Teachers are paid for 1874
days out Of the year, but must
eat and pay board for 1865 DAYS?
2. That teachers are "docked"
for being sick at the rate of $500
per day - pay that goes out Of
their salary for a substitute-and
that this $500 is more than the
annual daily "take home" wage Of
the teachers except those with 10
years Of experience?
3. That if no substitute Is avail.
able-a situation usually handled
by having a student in charge Of
the class or having a fellow-teach.
er to double up - the salary still
does not 60 to the teacher?
4. That, when conditions exist
that are beyond teacher control
such as schools closed because Of
bad roads or epidemics, the teach.
ers are laid off, without pay and
yet are required to stay in the COM
munity ION call'' paying room and
board?
5. That teachers are not allowed
to determine for themselves what
constitutes legitimate alb.
sence from business?
6. That teachers receive no over.
time pay, and yet are expected to
spend after school hours grading
papers, conducting extracurri.
cula activities, and preparing for
the next days work?
7. That the daily take home"
pay Of a teacher is:
Glass A-requiring a college de.
gree and courses in practice teach.
ing:
One years experience. 1913 a
day, 80 cents an hour; five years
experience, $685. a day, 48 cents
an hour; 10 years experience, 81.
Al a day, IS cents an hour.
8. That the only way in which a
teacher may raise this amount by
his own effort is to secure a. MA,
degree-requiring an extra year Of
graduate study - then the amount
is:
Graduate Certificate-11 years
experience, 4.86 a day, 90 cents
an hour.
9. That during the school term
of nine months, there is a three
weeks period-two weeks at Cnrit'
mas and n at Thanksgiving and
Easter combined - during which
Continued on Page Six