Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-03-18

ASPECT OF LcaCQcE mOrale. 1ue
entire atmosphere Of the public
school system ss 1t grows out Of
educational detectives, methods
and standards. and out of school
administrative policy. has basic
impact on teacher morale which
lis independent of the salary is
sue. Since these factors have
been noted in preceding para
graphs, the salary issue remains
for attention.
! The public school teacher has
properly been accorded q place
of prestige in the American COM
munity. This prestige comes
from the personal worth of the
individual and the Importance
of the work done. Some decades
ago. salaries were modest but
adequate to enable teachers to
maintain living standards appro-
PIRATE to their place in the COM
munity.
It does not appear practicable
to establish teacher salaries at
levels which will attract persons
who are solely or primarily in
terested in money. It is, how
ever, absolutely essential that
salaries be adequate to enable
those who have a real interest
in teaching to enter the profess
sion with assurance Of compen-
sation appropriate to their sta
ton in the community.
In Washington. 1T should be
our objective to maintain SAL
aries at or near the highest lev
els paid in this country; so that
low salaries may not be a deter
rent to the employment of quail
fled and dedicated teachers.
10. Finances. Public educa-
ton is necessarily q limited cost
venture. It is not TRUE that we
can afford any costs which are
proposed in the name Of better
education. As with any product,
we must ask what kind Of edu-
cation we are getting and what
lit is costing. Public education
should be under the same COM
tpulsion to justify its program
and costs as are other elements
of the public budget.
Public school budgets must be
designed strictly to serve the
sound detectives Of the educa-
Itional system. The diversion of
funds to serve collateral aims
will jeopardize educational
standards and discredit public
education.
Money alone is not key to a.
sound public school system. If
the educational detectives are
fuzzy, if teaching methods are in
effective. if discipline is unattain-
able, if educational standards are
low. if courses are poorly organ
lied, money is not the antidote
Defects in these matters have
direct relationships to the costs
Iof education but they must be
corrected on their own merits
and not merely out of cost con-
siderations.
When a sound system is created
and minimum facilities { are
provided. the best use of avail
able additional funds is to in
crease teacher salaries. Over in
vestment in facilities is too often
IA sign of educational sterility !
a sign of undue concentration on
the physical or external aspects
of education as an escape from
the deterioration Of TRUE educa-
ton. Too often. a new facility
which is introduced as an en-
hancement of education is I'M
truth detraction from it.
II. Conclusion. We do have
the funds and can afford a
system Of public education pur-
suing sound objectives. setting
high standards Of achievement.
providing 5 essential educational
facilities and paying our teachers
salaries commensurate with the
high prestige which they must !
maintain in the community. !