The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1960-09-09
The Affruefors and Defroefors--
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Phillips County News

Phillips County News r,Jn.r.
Education Association to finance Their
effective lobby. There are about foot
teachers in Montana. Those belonging
to the MEA are assessed approximate
ly one and one-half per cent of THEN
salaries, plus a SIS assessment for the
national educational association. In
1949, eleven years ago, the MEA
extracted from their teachers on the
dues schedule, $29,694. In 1859, this
same organization received from their
membership, $143,577. The growth
of this organization has been about
as fantastic as the increase in your
property taxes"
Twedt went on to say, "Now what
can be done at the local level to meet
this ever increasing cost and to give
our teachers the salary they deserve.
1T is imperative that all schools begin
ability groupings of their students
as is done in some school systems. 1t
has been proven in every section of
this country that a teacher can in
struct group of 35 students of equal
ability as well as they can instruct
group of 20 with unequal abilities.
This is presently being done in many
of our schools. To me it is particularly
heart-warming to see small schools
such as Deer Lodge and Columbia
Falls efficiently operating this plan.
A statewide conversion to this sys-
tenn can overnight solve our teacher
shortage problem for the present. In
each school must constantly |
re-examine its curriculum. We must |
de-emphasize programs such as Driv-
ers Training and the Distributive Edu-
cation program. We must place more
on the fundamental courses
such as science, mathematics and
English. Our detectives should be to
challenge them and to teach them to
hink."
THE average Montana teachers
alary is $4,000 a year. l am con-
'inced," Twedt continued, "that with
.ood administration they could be
increased to $4,000 per year without
ny additional revenue. We need to
eward, with merit increases, those
eachers who are superior in instruct
1g our students. We need to stop re-
varding mediocrity and treating all
eachers as though they were alike as
cas- IN a pod any more than you and
are alike. AS you know, a teacher t
no has been in school system for '
our years cannot be removed for in L
Efficiency. They may fossilize as t
ould any employee anywhere, but $
g are helpless to remove them. The a
'acher tenure bill gives them secur- n
Y as provided by the MEA legis- Il
tive lobby" IL
Warming to his subject, Twedt d
i'd: 1--WE continue in our same sys- A
m of rewarding mediocrity. A good I
acher does not need crutch, such
tenure, to lean on. Tenure works :,
the detriment of the administra- -
m, taxpayers, teachers and, last :,
It not least, the detriment of the - =,
1dents. Il am aware that this exist ~ ~
system has its staunch defenders, =.
q does favor some entirely respect -
lie men and women, but of it's con- u,
button to the lowering of quality, !"
Ficiency and ability, there can be w
lie Doubt
Teaching is too personal and i'm s
rtant a profession to be cham i
ung' with iron-clad union-made a
les, which perpetuate, in the en- +
" of the public, instructors who s
y have the education, but not the e
ack or know-how of imparting what v
y know to a group of students. p
cd teachers do not want nor need ii
enure provision in their contract. Il
sisE| !