The Daily Alaska empire., 1947-02-05
S0L0N5 5CK00L(05T
 BITTER DOSE
Schooling of Natives Puts Heavy Burden on Ter
 ritoriaI System

The mounting cost of educating native children in the Territorial ! schools, no part of which is borne by the Federal government, was inn pressed upon the members of the Alaska Senate this morning by questioning of Commissioner of Education James c. Ryan.
 s Dr. Ryan was called to explain the need for supplemental appro- priations to his department totaling $282 ,000 for the current biennium. embodied in Senate Bill 8, which was in second reading. Dr. Ryan candidly told the Senators that funds he is asking for this depart ment in s. B. 8, in the biennial budget and in a measure, s. B. ', to raise teacher salaries, will total considerably over four million Y dollars for the next two years-ex- ceeding the total anticipated rev. enues of the Territory.
 Native children number about one-fourth of enrolment in the Territorial school system and so account for a fourth of school out lays. Toward the million dollars or more the Territory may spend up- on their education during the next biennium, the Federal government s contributes nothing, although every where but in Alaska it contributes to the cost of educating Indian children.
 There are about 1000 native pupils in the Alaska school sys- tenn of a total enrolment of about 5000 According to information possessed by the Board of Educa- ton, the Alaska Native Service has recently closed approximately 20 schools-for lack of teachers-and no provision is now being made for children that had attended those schools. Dr. Ryan stressed that his office is not kept apprised of changes or contemplated changes in the ANS school setup.
 Cost to the Territory for each child in school is $200 per year While in Washington, D. c. last spring, Dr. Ryan arranged with the Office of Indian Affairs that budget request of $200,000 would be made by that agency for pay ment of tuition for native children in Alaska schocls-or about one half the actual cost. That budget 'item, however, was promptly knocked out by the Bureau of Bud- get.
 The Commissioner of Education also pointed out that there are ap- proximately 1,500 native children of Alaska, mainly in the Kuskok- vim, Bristol Bay and Seward Pen insula areas, for whom no educa- tional facilities whatsoever are pro [ vided
 Dr. Ryan stated that the sums The is requesting are only what he considers necessary to maintain Alaska schools at their present standard, a standard he is proud of"
 He gave his opinion that, if teacher salaries are cut-or not in- oreased-qualified teachers could not be. obtained. He can get some sort of teacher" at any salary, he offered; but they would not be the kind of teachers you want teaching your children" Even present teach CT salaries are not high enough to attract good teachers from the States and, though the schools are staffed at present, about IA percent of those now in Alaska schools do not meet requirements and are on temporary certificates only Many other teachers are just filling in during an emergency and are anx- ious to leave their school posts. |A. Regarding the bill before the body, Dr. Ryan. advised that the largest supplemental appropriations asked, S214,73488, results from pas sage of two acts by the special session of 1946; one of them to increase refunds to incorporated cities by five percent, the other raising teacher salaries.
 Purposely, no appropriations were asked of the special session to meet those added expenses, he said, but gthe legislators were told at the tim\ that more money would be asked now. After questioning Dr. Ryan, the Senate recessed until ? o'clock this afternoon, when it was to tangle with s. B. 8.
 Senate Bill 3, also on the calen- dar for today, was withdrawn by author N R. Walker, without ob- jection. The measure called for referendum on abolition of fish traps and was withdrawn in favor of the similar measure yesterday naSsed by the House