TEACHERS’ SALARIES

Wairarapa Times-Age, 1 August 1938, Page 7

TEACHERS’ SALARIES

CHANGE IN ASSESSMENT ’X STABILISATION OF STAFFS SOUGHT. MORE TO ASSIST COUNTRY SCHOOLS. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) WELLINGTON, This Day. An adjustment in the method of assessing the remuneration of primary school teachers with a view to securing the stabilisation of school staffs and an improvement in the staffing of country schools was announced on Saturday by the Minister of Health, the Hon P. Fraser. The new scheme is to come into operation on October 1 next, but the whole of the salary increases involved are not to be granted immediately. The total additional cost this financial year will be £57,000. ‘‘The new scale provides for a greater range of increments and also for a reduction in the number of grades of salaries,” said Mr Fraser in the course of his statement. “Briefly, the new scale represents an adjustment on two main principles:— “(a) The payment of the teacher on a ‘basic scale’ according to years of service. “(b) The payment of a ‘position’ salary evaluated according to the position occupied. Thus, ‘position’ salary would be paid, in addition to the rate under the ‘basic scale,’ to head and sole teachers, to infant mistresses, to senior men and women assistants, to assistants in secondary departments of district high schools, and to assistants in other special positions warranting some additional payment. “Some of the features of the new scheme are: The ‘basic scale,’ which will commence at £l9O per annum and end at £370 per annum for head and sole teachers and for men assistants and will commence at £l7O per annum and end at £330 per annum for women assistants.' (In certain of the junior positions there is a bar at £290 for head and sole teachers and men assistants, and at £250 for women assistants); the additional ‘position’ salaries for assistant teachers, will range in general, from £2O to £6O per annum, and be paid according to the position occupied and the grade of the school. “Married allowance at the rate of £5O per annum, hitherto paid only to married men assistants, will be paid to married head and sole men-teachers. “House allowance, hitherto paid to head and sole teachers where a residence has not been provided, will be discontinued and there will be readjustments in respect of the occupancy of school residences. “Native school teachers, staffs of training colleges, and the primary department of the Correspondence School are included in the scheme.”