Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1959-04-01
Civic Group Majority Backs
Montgomery School Pay Rise
BY G. O. HERNDON
star stan Writer

star stan writer
a. A proposed teacher pay in
crease that would make Mont
agomery County school salaries
the highest in the metropolitan
area last night won the support
of the majority Of county civic
group spokesman.
Nearly 800 county residents
were on hand for the third in
o series Of four public hearings
on the county's tentative stat
million budget for 1959-60. Last
nights session was devoted to
the record $500 program recon-
smended by the County School
Board.
Although the school budget
was strongly supported. several
of the 81 speakers at the hear
ing attacked school expendi-
lures as excessive" questioned
whether the educational pro-
gram was moving ill-advisedly
into the areas of health and
welfare, and issued a warning
that mounting taxes should be
controlled.
The county's two principal
civic bodies, the Civic Fedora
ton and the Allied Civic Group
Of Silver Spring, split on the
pay plan. The federation in
dorsed it and the ACC recon-
mended $2,275, 900 reduction in
the salary program with a plan
featuring maximum increases
of $500.
Other Groups Split
Eight other civic, pohtical or
special interest groups split
five to three in favor of the
school boards pay proposal, as
follows:
For the pay increase-the
County League of Women
Voters. the County Council of
Parent Teacher Associations,
the Montgomery County Edu-
cation Association, the county
branches of the American AS
ISOLATION of University Women
and the Kensington- Wheaton
Democratic Club.
Against the entire pay in
crease requested-The County
Council for Better Education, |
the Junior Women's Club of
Chevy Chase and the County
Conservative Club.
Speakers and their comments
included:
Mrs. John X. Kearn, repre-
senting the Education Commit
tee of the Junior Women's
Club of Chevy Chase-"We do
not think cultural, recreational
or vocational pursuits and hob
bies of the individual adult cit
izen should be supported by tax
money. We strongly urge |
you to delete the request for
$12,500 (for adult education) :"
Pat Holt, president of the
PTA Council-Funds previously
spent on school libraries were
"a disgrace to any literate COM
munity."
Mrs. Samuel J. Kicker, League
of Women Voters-"If Mont
gomery County could have well |
qualified teachers in every
classroom, we should like to
venture the prediction that the |
continuing controversy over
how to teach and what to teach |
would diminish markedly"
Wilbur N. Baughman, for
mer County Council member
II plead with the council. to
hold the line wherever possible |
and not approve any request |
that cannot be thoroughly |
subStantiated."
Louis Levin, Allied Civic |
Group - Under the hoolI
boards salary schedule, teacher
pay increases would range from
"12.5 to 21.6 per cent for
bachelor degree teachers and |
from 11.9 to 81 per cent for
master degree teachers" He
proposed scale for B.A. degree
teachers ranging from $4,000 to
$4,000 in l6 annual steps. (The
school board B.A. scale would
go from $4,000 to $1,000 in IL
annual steps,
Arthur ID. SimOndS. IT,, ex-
ecutive secretary of the MEGA
Our organization will make
no request for any change in
the basic salary scale next year