Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1959-04-13


sessions, was split on the teach-
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Areo Teacher POy Comparison.
Puge B-3
er increase, which school Off
Gals estimated would cost an
additional $3.2 million. The
final action, approved in a 5 TO
2 vote, came 81 hours before the
deadline for approval of the
1959-60 budget and the setting
of the new tax rate.
A record budget of $72.1 mil
lion-including 1892 million for
school operating costs and con-
Struction - was trimmed by
about 81 million by the council.
The major cuts were affected
in school requests for additional
administrative and supervisory
personnel, requests which the
council deemed unnecessary in
view of the large teacher salary
boost.
Top Pay $500
Under the new Montgomery
schedule teachers with bache-
lor's degrees at the beginning
of the scale will be paid $4,000
for the 10-;nonth school year.
Top pay in the category,
reached after IL annual steps.
will be $1,000. The current
scale for B.A.-degree teachers
ranges from $4,000 to $4,000.
The new schedule grants
even higher increases for
teachers with masters degrees,
in line with the school board
policy emphasis on career"
teachers. The scale will range
! in IL steps from $4,700 to So
500, a substantial increase over
the present $4.200-to-S6,200
scale.
A new feature in the scale is
the Incorporation of a merit
pay" feature in the last two
steps of the MA. scale. Place
ment on the 18th and 18th steps
is not automatic but will be
granted only on the recom-
mendation of the county school
superintendent.
Starting salaries for nom
degree teachers in the new
scale is TO remain at $500,
but top pay for these teachers
will be $500 instead of the
present $500.
/ Mrs. Stella B. Werner, coun-
Gil president, who backed both
the reduction in school admin
istration costs and the higher
pay schedule, stated the county
holds a crucial position" in
regard to Nationwide patterns
in teachers salaries.
In advance of final county
action either tomorrow or
Wednesday on the overall
budget and the tax rate, Of
ficials calculated that the basic
real estate tax rate-currently
set at $2.l8 per 500 assessed
valuation-would rise approx
imately 80 cents in the fiscal
year beginning July /. When
the budget was originally sub
mitted over a month ago. Off
Gals had estimated that a 40
cent rate increase was likely.
A decisive point in the coun-
ellis debate over the teacher
pay plan came when Council
man David L. Cahoon, who had
originally proposed nearly all
Of the administrative cuts, ex-
pressed support for immediate
experimentation of the new pay
plan.
How They Voted
At Saturdays budget session,
the council voted unanimously
in favor of the school boards
proposed salary schedule but
deadlocked on the question of
whether to approve 1t immedi.
ately over a two-year period.
Three council members, Mrs.
Werner, Stanley B. Frosh and
Jerry T. Williams, argued for
adoption of the pay plan in
one year. Three other council
men, Mr.. Cahoon, B. Houston
McCeney and Grover X.
Walker, indicated they favored
a more gradual approach.
Councilman william r.
Hickey on Saturday did not
commit himself specifically to
either position.
Nevertheless, in the final
vote, Mr.. Cahoon said he was
able to support teacher salary
increases in one year after re-
ceiving assurance from a
spokesman from the Mont
gomery County Education AS
ISOLATION that Statewide teacher
pay boosts in 1860 would not be
applied at the top Of the county
scale.
In trimming the overall budget
to level of about $50 million,
the council also reduced a
school construction request Of
$3.6 million for a new West
Bethesda High School by S3.3
million. The 100000 left in
the budget was earmarked for
site acquisition and planning.
officials said the deletion would
not affect the timetable of the
new facility.
In the closing minutes of the
special session. the council also
approved a 4 per cent pay in.
crease for all merit-system per-
sonnet. including members NJ