SALARIES OF CASUALS

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 60, 5 December 1918, Page 7

SALARIES OF CASUALS

TEACHERS WHO FILLED THE BREACH < EDUCATION DEPARTMENT .UNDER FIRE The payment of casual teachers in the employ -if the Education Heard wos tlio subject of a letter received by Iho board from tho Education Department, the reading of which gave riso to some warm criticism ivt yesterday-s mceliiiß ot the board. Tho Department wrote that-the question had been raised sis to whether a teacher who had been appointed or transferred'to a new position diiring n period when the school was closed for holidays should be paid 'salary for the intervening period-whether si 'teacher appointed during the midsummer vacation to a school thnt did not reopen till the beginning of February could properly be paid the salary of the new position iroin Januarv 1. 'As there might be several appointments of that kind, more especially during the ions holidays now commencing owing to the prevailing , epidemic, it was .desirable ■ to adopt a uniform practice in such cases, and it had been considered necessary to inform boards of the Department's attitude, in the matter. < In tho Department* viewy a. teacher was not in general entitled .to salary in any new position until lie actually commenced his duties as teacher in the school, and the payment of sa.ary from an earlier date could not be justified, us entailing nn unwarranted charge on the.public fund?. .Boards were .advised that, unless the circumstances were exceptional, and the payment rtf salary was approved beforehand, the Department could not see its way to provide salaries in such cases except from tha dato of .commencing duties. . . . Payment for the long vacation should- be exceptional, and should not be-made unless the relieving teacher had been employed for tho whole of the previous school year, and then only in cases where the teacher, concerned was filling a position some time.prior to as,well as during the vacation. , '■'~, • Mr. E. P. liishwoi'th said that the letter simply showed the necessity for clearing out the Department lock, stock, and barrel. It showed not only an unmoral attitude, but alack of intelligence. They mid been calling out for teachers, putting «n undue strain on those they could get, an! the teachers had aided the boards in carrying out their duties with/ wonderful loyalty. Their services were a reniark'able commentary. on tho. attitude-of. the ' Department .at ' tliu present juncture. The proposal, that relieving teachers were to be deprived of their earnings at this 'tim» showed. that the Department was out of touch, and could not grasp the! situation at. all .(intelligently. Uhat were the teachers referred to in the letter to do in. tho interval?

A member: : Starve!:. ■Mr. Eishworth said that he .failed to 'understand the Department. JJuriug .the past few weeks tha teachers had rallied rou\id them in a. Jplendid spirit ot'.selt'sacrifice, and this was their reward. The chairman (Mr. Thomas Forsyth) said that he had arranged for the board, to meet the Minister of Education and ■Departmental heads and.discuss the matter. ' , ■ '-, ~ Mr. C. J. Harkness espnssed the opinion that the Department was. taking advantage; of' tlie teach■'ers'owin? to the prevailing epidemic. • ■■ Mr:> -E; M'Callum, M.?., said the Department was always urging Ihn .necessity for decentralisation, but if the .letter before the board was an exposition of the spirit of the Department, teachers would see that the Department: Wanted to bring the methods of the wliarf into , the teaching profession. Even enginedrivers 'were • paid' while waitin? for a job. and yet the Department had not ■sufficient , intelligence to see that teach«rs hnd to be kept iii decency o.nd com-foi-t: lifter receiving an apiioint.niont. The chairman paid thev- had pointed out to tlie .Director'of.Education that relieving teachers were not in tlie same nositinn as members of'various' trade?. They bad also nointed oiit Hint tlie boarri -miißl; find nosition? at. oncp for n-hwnp.'l soldier teachers. Hp was Had that nipra.bers had expressed tbem.<elv»= ''o freplv. It. was time Hip public sboul'' know tlm .Tiica.-irdh' way. in which the Department hirl itsMf iwHiid fp?u]i>Hons: ' 0" the "intion nf v .sfr. Mo=s H w.rs iwnlvpd: ",Th"t tbe boa«l entirely d'SaTiorfvps of the eiven bv the T>enartment as to tl>« pnynienl of r">=-iirO teaMier"-.' niv' Trmil'l if™' '■bo jMinUter to <\v> Imc-rls orod; , ; f«r. in»i,-.i«rr pffor th» l)P.=t rifth" snlto?l« nnri at +h» ,s"""> tmip -rotooting the interests of tlie tr.xpayei-s."