as

losing an important battle on the home front. The situation with
reference to restless and underpaid teachers is reported to be most
acute in the Middlewest. "Thousands sre leaving the (teaching)
profession and their positions are left vacant, eliminated, or filled
by persons with Less that standard qualifications."

Perhaps the worst feature of the situation is that it is so usual in
some of its aspects as not to be very startling. According to the
source quoted above, "twenty-two states this yerr will pay some
teachers below #600" for a yerr of teaching service. Kansas is one
of these states. Nearly one-fifth of its te-chers in rural elementary
schools were paid less than that amoung in 1942-43, but the number
is considerably reduced this year The percentage in smaller graded
elementary schools, which was seven per cent a year ago, «pproaches
zero this year. Last yeer, two states paid all of their teachers
$1200 or more, and it is prebaLle thet three of four times as many
states will be in this classification for 1943-44, but Kansas is
certainly not one of these states.

The teachers in Kansas who nominally receive $1200 or more this year
constitute less than three per cent (2.7) of rural elementary teachers;
twenty-seven per cent in two-or-more te:cher elementary schools; and
sixty-two per cent in city elementary schools (if the sampling in this
report is representative). But ectually, due to tax and retirement
deductions, very few in the first two groups and perhaps-only twenty-
five per cent in the third grown receive that much salary. And

many full-time high school teachers in both second and third

class cities receive a salary of less than $1200 after these deductions
are made.

Qne must bear in mind that deducti i j
taxes and for rence Sie 180 to shrink oe
more than $125. per month, or #125 to $105 per month. This means

that however justifiable the deductions, a teacher in even a moderate
salary group may actually reecive two hundred dollars a year less than
sie salary indicated ~~ for such deductions are not available to him

o use in paying for food, shelter, clothes, medical service, insurance
needs, or church support. And a teacher's former salary may have
been reduced twenty~five per cent in cities due to increases in cost
of living since 1939, according to a U. S. Department of Labor report,

A lso, one should remember as « factor in appraising teacher salaries
rama cdc in the same community much higher compensation than
Peele eo ec ae _— sméller investment
ses na wpa ion. iS not reasonable
Hee pean - reine sg sacrifice involved here simply oo
> ai — as eachers or to their recognition of the importance
is ce. There is an urgent obligation upon state, district,