ALTERATION OF EDUCATION BOARD BOUNDARIES.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1605, 23 November 1912, Page 14

ALTERATION OF EDUCATION BOARD BOUNDARIES.

Sir,—'Thougn somewhat late, I hope you will find space for this response to a letter from Mr. Harding, re proposed alteration of Education Board boundaries. I agree very strongly with Mr. Harding in his statement that the Wellington Board's district would bo comparatively smaller under the proposed alteration, for, notwithstanding your statement, Cook Strait i 9 practically an impassable barrier. Here are the facts: The difference in sal-, ary between each grade of school is .£3O. It .is only very rarely indeed that a teacher is promoted more than one grade at a time. A teacher for each year in a grade receives JCS increment till ho reaches the maximum of his grade, which is the minimum of the next grade above. Now, a teacher rarely receives promotion till making .th# immediate riss in salary from grade to grade .£ls, though ultimately, by increment, the riso would bo .£3O. .further, teachers bear the oxp'ense of' their own shifting to tho uttermost farthing. Now, can a teacher, for an immediate increase to salary of J!ls (though prospectively ,£3O) go to the expense— enormous as compared with salary—of taking his family and eiVects by rail to Wellington; by steamer, to, say, Nelson, and by another smaller steamer to, sny, Takaka or Collingwood? It is not to bo thought of. Even if the actual steamer charges were paid for him, it is doubtful if such promotion- wero worth having. Hoping that you will publish this in fairness to. both sides of tho question,—l am, etc„ ANQTHBE OS THEM.