Evening star., 1949-09-28
ChancesFade
For Teachers
Sick Leave Bill
Conferees Can't Agree
On Amount Thut Muy
Be Accumulated
BY Don S. Worren

lUI pdlu SICK leave IOr WdSQl0&COI
school teachers faded today when
House and Senate conferees failed
to agree on terms of the measure
At issue is the amount of leave
that may be accumulated. The
House bill limits this to go days
and the Senate has raised 1t to 90
Managers Of the bill for the
House and Senate, after a LONG
delay, had their first meeting this
morning and broke up in disa-
greement. No time was set for
another session.
Representative Abernethy, Dem.
ocrat. Of Mississippi, heading the
House conferees, told reporters
II don't know where we stand"
No Senate Hearings Held
He added that all of the testi-
mony at hearings before the
House District Subcommittee on
Education had been in favor Of
so days accumulated leave and
that all witnesses had supported
this figure. No one, he said, had
called for . 90-day total.
Mr.. Abernethy also made the
point THAT the Senate District
Committee had held no hearings
on the subject and had taken nc
testimony calling for 30 days. The
average over the country, he con-
tinued. was S. days.
The e0-day provision was writ
ten into the bill at the suggestion
Of Senator Margaret Chase Smith,
Republican. of Maine.
There were some reports that
Mrs. Smith had indicated she had
been willing to accept rs days but
that House conferences had ada
mainly rejected anything above
90 days.
Must Pay for Substitutes.
The House passed the bill June
II and the Senate 4 little later.
The matter then was allowed to
drag and q further delay ensued
when the House took its summer
recess Of about three weeks.
District school teachers now
have to pay for substitutes when
they are absent on account of
illness. The bills would allow them
one day for each month through
the school year, from September
through June. :
Sick leave would be granted for
personal illness, tie presence Of
contagious disease or death in the
teachers home, or any pressing
emergency under regulations to -
adopted by the Board Of Edu-
cation.
Meanwhile, only the signature
Of President Truman was needed
today to correct certain inequities
n the 1947 District teacher pay,
act discovered during the S0th
Congress but not ground through
the legislative mills until late yes
terday. 9
Credits Adjusted.
This minor legislative bit. school
emcials say, WIN mean back
dated pay raise for about 100 vet
sran school teachers amounting
TO $500 and up to 81 900 for q few
more.
This comes about by an ad-
5ustment Of credits for teachers
who were In the service when the
1o47 pay scales were adopted, as
against newcomers to the District
system, with outside experience
and masters degrees. who immed-
lately won higher pay places.
Ofncials said some of the
teachers already In the District
system, having masters degrees,
found themselves In salary
brackets somewhere between
$1,000 and $500, although some
Of the newer recruits started here
1t $500. Under the equalization
bill, the former group will have
adjustments dating back to July
I. 1947.
Took . Months to Unsnarl Kinks.
Both the House and Senate
adopted the same bill toward the
end Of the 80th Congress, but
under different bill numbers, and
In the adjournment confusion
they were forgotten.
1t has taken nearly nine months
OF the new Congress to straighten
out this kink.
This measure was one Of several
passed by the Senate yesterday in
Q call Of its heavy consent cal
endar.
The Senate passed and sent to
the House for action q bill to
broaden the powers. to rename
and to reorganize the National
Capital Park and Planning Com
mission.
Drops 'Park" in Name.
President Truman, in his 1850
budget message to Congress, urged
adoption Of this measure, which
had been recommended by the
Federal Budget Bureau after q
two-year study Of planning ac-
tivities in the Metropolitan Area.
Under this bin. the name Of the
agency would be changed TO the
National Capital Planning Com
mission. It would be given some
additional powers over Govern
ment structures In the Metropoli.
tan Area, but one of the main OBJ
3ectives would be better co-ordina-
tion Of planning activities among
the Federal and District Govern
ments an dthose Of the adjoining
State Jurisdictions.
Fair Planned Friday
At Sherwood Church
A Church Fair. including por-
trait drawing by Inspector Dick