Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 297, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 20 December 1918 — SCHOOL HEADS WANT MORE PAY [ARTICLE]

SCHOOL HEADS WANT MORE PAY

HELD ANNUAL SESSION IN INDIANAPOLIS TUESDAY AND DISCUSSED WORK. t ■ . > a Salary increases for teachers and executives in the county schools will be proposed to the coming session of the legislature by the County Superintendent’s association of Indiana. About sixty superintendents attending a session of the association at Indianapolis Tuesday discussed the proposed increase as a step toward bettering the public schools. A committee will be appointed to confer with Governor Goodrich on the legislative program suggested by the superintendents.

The superintendents approved a bill to abolish the tecahing of German in the public schools. They declared that the present method of distribution of text books through county depositories, which buy books on a 12 per cent profit margin and pay the freight to the depository, is unsatisfactory, but made no suggestions as to changes in the system. Considerable discussion followed a report that Prof. W. W. Black, of Indiana university, would present a bill to the legislature asking that one of the qualifications of a county superintendent be that he is a college graduate with, a degree. No action was taken, but it is understood few favored the bill. Tljp superintendents are almost unanimous about extending the present qualifications for superintendents, but not to the point 'that Prof. Black’s bill is said to provide. The superintendents approved bills to provide for the establishment and promotion of classes to promote physical education, to establish junior high' schools, to create attendance districts in counties 'having more than 2,000 pupils, to amend the compulsory education law to require the attendance of children under 16 years of age upon part-time schools, de-: partments or classes having be&n established in any school district. In the discussion for increased salaries of county superintendents it was brought out that, with, the exception of Marion, Vanderburg, Vigo, Allen and Lake counties, the salaries of the superintendents are $1,4Q0.50, while in the “big five” the salary is $2,500 annually. We 'believe that the county school superintendent must be paid more money or this important office will not attract men of the calibre which the schools under his direction deserve. He Should be h college graduate and should be possessed with much executive ability. The rural schools will strive to reach the ideals of the perso nat their head. This is, of course, the county superintendent. Possibly many of the men now occupying this important position are being over paid. But the man capable of serving efficiently i® this capacity is worthy of much more than the present salary received by the county school superintendent. We favor a change in the manner of appointing ‘county superintendents, apd believe that the tenure of office should depend entirely upon the ability to serve.