Evening star., 1948-06-23
Montgomery Teachers Wages

salaries Of the teachers in the public schools all
over America. 1t generally is agreed that the
average teachers salary is deplorably low in
the country as whole and in some communi-
ties localities the salary scale is pitifuy in
adequate, although in others it is more nearly
on a level with the training for and the re-
sponsibilities of this profession. BY "respon-
sibilities" is meant the teaching, training, and
the molding of the characters of our children
What could be more important to us as parents
and as persons interested in the future of our
wonderful country. than the best possible prep
aration, by way of education in our public
schools, of these future citizens? However, We
cannot expect to do this properly by utilizing
the services of those persons as teachers who.
although well-meaning are not possessed of
the training and consequent ability to do the
f1rst-class job we have right to expect, and
| unless teachers salaries are high enough to
attract high-caliber professionals to this field,
our purpose is defeated in the beginning.
1t Is very gratifying to know that in Mont
gomery County there Is a school board which
realizes fully the truth and Importance OF the
above statements, and the board is to be COM
mended on its position in regard to paying
salaries high enough to attract the kind OF
teaching personnel we need and want, not only
in Montgomery County, but all over these
United States of America. That the boards
program has been effective is evidenced by
the fact that the improved salary scale partially
placed in effect at the beginning of this clos
ing school year, was instrumental in securing
the services of number of highly qualified
new teachers in the county.
But alas, it seems the good intentions of
the school board are for naught because one
man who appears to have a distinct aversion
to paying teachers what they are worth and
what they should have been getting long ago,
and who apparently has the power to sway
the Board of County Commissioners, seems to
be about to have his way In getting the school
budget cut, and from newspaper accounts, it
appears that his intentions and wishes are
that the full amount of the cut shall be taken
from those funds apportioned for the payment
of teachers salaries or at least to prevent them
from receiving their full salaries in accordance
with the scale previously agreed upon and
promised to the teachers. With regard to those
teachers who were in the Montgomery County
system prior to last September, failure to keep
the promise made last year and increase their
salaries in accordance with the scale that was
set, will penalze the teachers of greatest ex-
perience and longest length of service, as they
were not, in most cases, placed on their proper
a 81, 200 increase could be given to a teacher
in any one year, while those teachers with COM
paratively small experience generally were
placed on their proper scale last year, due to
the fact that their differences were in most
cases less than $1,000.
Are the citizens of Montgomery County going
to stand idly by and see this budget cut effected
without further protest to the ultimate detri-
ment Of the children? hope not. Every citizen
of the county should be interested in this mat
ter, not just the parents of children of school
age: and it is respectfully suggested that each
of them should write to the Board of County
Commissioners at Rockville, Md, protesting
this school budget cut.
INTERESTED OUTSIDER.
PROPOSAL to the Russians
To the Editor of The Star:
Is there any chance of our avoiding war
with Russia? II there is a chance, what is 1t?
If there isn't, what should we do about it?
Scrupulously ruling out all wishful thinking,
I have given this subject considerable thought
and have come to the following conclusions,
which I submit for your considerations
The Russian leaders, having fanatical be-
lief in the desirability of their brand of COM
munism and of the necessity for spreading 1t
lengths to disseminate their doctrine.
They know that until Russia Is able to
manufacture an atomic bomb or to develop a
weapon at least equally deadly, they will stand
no chance in a military showdown with the
United States, even though they may tenn
porarily be able to overrun Europe with their
armies; for If we consider the amount OF de-
struction to life and property that was done
by one atomic bomb at Hiroshima Ito say
nothing OF the increased efficiency Of the
postwar models we readily may imagine the
destruction and chaos that = mere hundred
of these bombs could wreak on the larger
centers of population, manufacture and trans
port inside Russia. The Russian leaders, it
seems to me. would not be willing to pay this
price for temporary overrunning of Europe,
especially in view Of the fact that their armies
soon could be cut of from their Russian
sources of supply.
Regardless Of how we'll the Marshall Plan
works, or what else we do to prevent the
spread Of communism, or what the United
Nations may do to prevent major war. these
measures all will fail of their purpose unless
Russia joins lis and the rest OF the world In
an effective plan for worldwide disarmament.
Any measures that do not include this essen
tial step will merely postpone the next war,
not prevent It,
Planning When to Strike.
1t is the present policy of the Russians to
60 just as far as they can with Communist
expansion without provoking us to the point
Of war. They are convinced that they can
compute the point at which the United States
would take military action against them and
they always will stop just short Of that point.
They are convinced that this country will not
get around to using the atom bomb until
after it is attacked. so they feel that it Is in
their power to decide where, how and when
q war with us shall start 1t is the current
Russian policy, not only to expand the area
controlled by totalitarian Communist states as
far as possible without provoking us to war,
but also to prevent the setting up Of any ef-
fective international peace machinery that
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