Evening star., 1960-04-19
County Will Use Grants
To Finance Merit Plan
Montgomery
To Establish
Teacher Fund
By PAUL HOPE
star stan Writer

Montgomery County will use
proceeds from the recently
enacted State teachers pay bill
to finance its merit pay pro-
gram and a new l2-month con-
tract program.
About 800 teachers who
would have received a raise
under the original wording of
the bill will not benefit under
an amendment approved by
the General Assembly.
Montgomery school officials
set up the funds for the merit
pay program and the 12-month
plan after the procedure was
sanctioned by a ruling of State
Attorney General C. Ferdinand
Sybert yesterday.
Amendment Is Cited
The bill, known as the James
bill, was designed to give $500
raises to veteran teachers -
those with 10 or more years
experience. The General AS
Sembly tackled on an amend,
ment-with approval of Mont.
gomery County legislators and
the county teacher association
which allows jurisdictions
with a maximum salary scale
of $1,000 or more to use the
funds for merit pay programs
or extra services.
Montgomery and Baltimore
Counties are the only jurisdic-
tions with scales up to $1,000.
Brian M. Benson, controller
for Montgomery County schools,
said the county will receive
approximately $485,000 under
the James bill.
More than 100000 is ex-
pected to be used for the merit
pay program next year, he
said. About 500 teachers are
expected to be receiving extra
pay for outstanding service
next year. Currently there are
about ESQ teachers on the
merit program which was in
augurated this year.
Yearly Contract Plan
Mr.. Benson said nearly
100000 will be used for a new
program under which SO teach
ers will be put on a 12-month
contract instead of a normal
10-month one. These teachers
will be used to staff summer
workshop programs and special
research projects. he said.
These teachers used to be paid
on a weekly basis for the same
summer work, he said.
Mr.. Benson said there are
about 1900 teachers in Mont
gomery County with 10 years
or more experience. About 500
of these are expected to be in
the merit pay program next
year, and most of them will be
$500 above the $1,000 maximum
salary which applies to most
teachers.
Without the amendment
tackled onto the James bill the
county would have had to add
$500 to the salaries of all 1900
teachers at the 10-year or
above level.
OF the approximately 800
who will not benefit from the
James Bill, only 172 are below
the $1,000 salary level. Mr..
Benson said. These are teachers
without degrees and those who
have not yet reached the H.
year experience level required
in Montgomery for the $1,000
maximum salary.
The James Bill amendment
was approved by the General
Assembly after considerable
criticism from legislators in
other areas about the wide diff
ference in Montgomery County
teacher salaries and those in
less wealthy counties. The
county teachers association
agreed to the amendment Of
the big pay increase Montgom-
cry County gave teachers last
year.
In Prince Georges County
922 teachers with 10 or more
years experience will get
raises under the James Bill,
Supt. William Schmidt said.
Mr.. Schmidt said the county
will get approximately $345.00O
under the James Bill.
The Prince Georges pay
scale next year will be $4,000
to $1,000. It currently is S4,-
200 to $4,000.