Evening star., 1947-05-09
Joint Committee Ask.
Figures on Teachers
Pay in Other Cities
By Harold B. Rogers

| Latest information on what other
cities are doing to raise teachers
salaries will be considered by joint
Senate House fiscal committee. be-
fore it takes action on the District
teachers pay bill, and the Districts
new revenue measure.
The information is to be collected
for the committee as soon as pos
sible by DR.. Hobart M. Corning,
superintendent of schools. He was
requested to present such new re-
port after a conference yesterday in
the Capitol with Senator Cain, Re-
publican, of Washington. and Rep
resentative Bates, Republican. of
Massachusetts, who head the SEN
ate and House fiscal subcommittee
drafting the new District money
bill.
"We asked for the latest figures
from Is or 20 comparative cities,
Mr.. Bates said after the conference
behind closed doors. I'VE want
more up-to-date information on the
teachers salary schedule in other
large cities of the country, before
we come to a decision on the Dis
trict pay bill"
Pay Bill First Action. :
He indicated action will be taken
first on the pay bill, before the
joint committee sits down to write
the general revenue bill to raise
additional taxes for the District.
DR.. Corning estimated 1t might
take him about a week to collect
the figures. He hopes to get many
Of them from the National Educa-
ton Association, national head
quarters of which keep up-to-date
reports on what the cities and
States are doing to raise teachers
salaries.
Since the local teachers pay bill
here will be given precedence over
the general tax measure, Mr.. Bates
conceded the new inquiry neces-
sarily will delay writing of the
revenue bill.
Many cities have raised their
theachers' salaries and some legis-
latures have granted State aid, Mr.
Bates explained. Figures should be
available from other cities, not only
on what is being paid now, but
what may be paid to teachers the
next year.
| Such data will be more up-to-
date than the basic information
already in the committees hands
from the 1867 school year here
he emphasized.
Excited" by City Heads.
Senator Cain disclosed the con-
ference had been called after school
officials had become very excited
over what they considered the Dis
trict Commissioners negative" at
titude toward pending recommends
tions of the Board of Education.
"The District Commissioners" he
said, "are thinking quite legitimate
| ly about money to pay the increased
salaries. They contend that the
shortness of the salaries is moi
resulting in a shortage of teachers
But it is DR.. Corning who has to
hire the teachers.
MY informal opinion" ventured
Senator Cain, SIS that DR.. Corning
can prove his case better than the
Commissioners. Both sides are not
being Intentionally unfair"
Commissioners Stand.
The Commissioners had opposed
the salary increase recommended
by the school board. In a state
ment sent to the joint Senate
House committee last week, they
recommended the present pay scale
be made permanent.
| The Board of Education then
adopted a statement "reafdlrming'
support of its bill and sent it te
the joint fiscal committee.
The boards bill would give teach.
ers a fiat s700 a year raise, which
Is $3.50 more than they now art
getting under a temporary $45t
raise expiring June 30. The bill
also would revise the pay scale
substantially, raising the minimum,
and maximums. 1t would estab-
! lish hequal pay for equal training
amsAP all levels of teachers