Evening star., 1946-02-01
Action Pledged
On Bill Raisinq
Teacher Pay
McCorrun Measure
Also Provides for
EscoIotor' Advances
BY DON S. WARREN.

By DON s. WARREN.
Chairman Bilbo of the Senate
District Committee today prom
ised to expedite action on the new
McCarran bill proposing minimum
basic pay increases of s1oo to $500
a year to Washington school teach
ers-as soon as the FEPC filibuster
ends.
During a pause in his efforts to
defeat the measure to make FEPC
permanent, he said: CAS- soon as
the clouds fly away, the winds stop
blowing, and this flibuster comes to
and end, we will have action on the
teacher pay question"
In short, he indicated he would
name subcommittee to hold hear
ings on the measure if it appears
the subject is too complicated or too
controversial to handle in one hear
ing before the full District Commit
tee.
Senator McCarran, Democrat. of
Nevada, member and the past
chairman of the District Committee,
offered the bill yesterday afternoon
with strong backing from the Amer
lcan Federation of Labor and the
American Federation of Teachers.
"Escalator" Clauses.
Shortly after the terms of the
bill were made public, special atten-
ton was drawn to "escalator''
clauses which would permit teachers
at the top of various standard
grades to go to higher pay brackets,
assuming that they have "the
equivalent academic training re-
quirements" for the higher levels.
Such clauses were attached to
proposed new pay scales for six
different classes, including the la
elementary teachers, whose new
top pay would be $4,000 year, per-
mltting them to go to the top of
the new Glass &c scale, $4,000.
The same setup would apply to
junior high and vocational school
teachers, attendance officers, census
supervisors and child labor in
spectors.
School teachers now paid an en-
trance salary of $1,000 year could
go to top of $500 a year, without
from one type of teaching
to another, as from graded schools
to high school, provided only they
had necessary educational qualif1ca-
tions, or the equivalent of stated
college degrees. This might mean
a masters degree or its equivalent.
Calculate Cost to d. c.
District officials were busy today
calculating the operation costs for
future fiscal years. Without passing
on the merits of the plan, they said
1t would be big" In this connec-
ton it was recalled that last years
teacher pay act presented an i'm
mediate gross cost of S1,673 900,
about s1,000,000 of which was for
the $500 wartime bonus made
permanent as part of basic pay
in the 1945 act. When the maxi
mum effect of the 1945 act is
reached, the additional annual cost
will be about s2,700,00o a year, Of
ficials said.
The McCarran bill also prompted
attention to the fact that the Joint
Legislative Council of school en-
ployes and officials, representing
many different groups, now was
working on proposal for a fiat 20
per cent increase in the 1945 basic
pay levels.
Both school leaders and teachers
last night hailed the McCarran
bill, in general at least.
Mrs. Henry Grattan Doyle, presi-
dent of the Board of Education,
commented: Naturally, the board
is interested in anything that will
benefit the teachers
Robert L. Haycock, schools super
who is about to retire,
said, Il feel that any effort to give
the employees of the system more
pay is a step in the right direc-
ton"
Mrs. Resh to Study Bill.
Mrs. Mary Resh, chairman of the
Joint Legislative Council, which in
cludes IS teachers organizations.
said her group already was con-
sidering asking as much as a 20
per cent increase in pay scales.
While the council will appreciate
the efforts of Senator McCarran.
she could indorse it only in prin-
ciple until she could study its de-
tailed provisions, she said.
Miss Sue Brett, president of the
High School Teachers Association,
which already had urged teacher
pay boost, indicated her group had
hoped for much more" but was
glad to hear any suggestion, no
matter how small"
Mrs. Arther Watkins, president
of the Congress of Parents and
commented: 'I don't be-
lieve teachers can be paid too
much"
AS he introduced his bill, Senator
issued a statement de-
nouncing the 1945 pay act as a $50
called teachers pay bill' which gave
great increases to school oAc;,ls