Attendance officers are on an eight-hour day 8:30 to 5. The staff considers this a proper workday but wishes to call attention to the fact that the attendance officers are the only professional group not on supervisory level who have such hours; in addition, night work is often necessary in order to see working parents-and this responsibility has been accepted as a part of the job.

WORK YEAR FOR ATTENDANCE OFFICERS

Holidays during the school year 1946-47 granted to teachers, librarians, counselors, and research assistants were not granted to attendance officers. On the current 10-month work year attendance officers worked all these days:

A total of 32 days under the present schedule is required of attendance officers and not required of any other nonsupervisory personnel.

Mrs. WARD. This is the amendment I wish to propose to S. 1088 and H. R. 2976, bills to amend the District of Columbia Teachers' Salary Act of 1945 and to be inserted as a new section on page 19 after line 24. "Section 19 of said act approved July 21, 1945, is hereby amended by striking out the entire section 19 and inserting in lieu thereof [reading]:

Attendance officers in the department of school attendance and work permits assigned to class 32 in the foregoing schedule shall be entitled, in accordance with regulations made by the Board of Education, to school vacations and all school holidays granted to other nonteaching professional employees.

The opening and closing days on duty for attendance officers shall be established administratively in accordance with dates established for other non-teaching professional employees. Substitute privileges for attendance officers shall be identical with those granted other non-teaching professional employees.

In justification for suggested amendment to S. 1088 and H. R. 2976 I would like to say that this amendment involves no extra cost now or in the future. The amendment will affect class 32 of the bill.

Attendance officers are professional employees who are asking their work-year be the same as the work-year already established for other non-teaching professional employees such as research assistants, counselors, and librarians.

The Attendance Officers Association endorses the single salary schedule principle with the exception that the amendment hereby proposed be included in order to give attendance officers benefits given to other groups in the bill.

Mr. BATES. Thank you very much, Mrs. Ward. Your amendment will be fully considered.

Have you anything further?

Mrs. WARD. No, I have not.

Mr. BATES. The next witness will be Mary C. Dent, president of the Teachers' Union Local No. 8, A. F. of L.

STATEMENT OF MARY C. DENT, PRESIDENT, TEACHERS' UNION, LOCAL 8, AMERICAN FEDERATION OF LABOR, WOODROW WILSON HIGH SCHOOL, WASHINGTON, D. C.

Mrs. DENT. I have a very brief statement to make. Local No. 8, of which I am president and which is an affiliate of the American Federation of Teachers, is in the main in favor of the bill S. 1088. It is true that when the three American Federation of Teachers locals made recommendations to the Superintendent on the bill, we did ask for a slightly higher minimum of $2,600, and a maximum of $5,000.

The third group, that is qualifications beyond the master's degree, since that is not included in the bill and since the bill includes the other features which we find very desirable, in the main, I say, we are in favor of it.

We are especially gratified with the inclusion of the single salary provision. Local 8, for more than 20 years, has worked for the single salary schedule. In fact, we worked for it long ago when it was unpopular and now we are very much pleased that that is included in the bill.

Another feature which we find extremely favorable is one that we too have worked for and advocated, and that is the liberalizing of group B and group D.

As far as actual statute has been concerned, those groups always could have been open to everyone who qualified for them, but previously, the numbers of salaries have been limited and apparently in the bill as it is now those groups are liberalized.

Therefore, in the main, I say, Local 8, American Federation of Teachers, the teachers' union in Washington, D. C., is in favor of the bill.

Mr. BATES. Thank you, Mrs. Dent.

We will now hear from Mrs. Vivian Vestal, legislative chairman of teachers' union of Washington, D. C.

STATEMENT OF MRS. VIVIAN VESTAL, LEGISLATIVE CHAIRMAN, TEACHERS UNION, LOCAL 8, AMERICAN FEDERATION OF LABOR

Mrs. VESTAL. I am the legislative chairman of the teachers' union, Local No. 8 of the American Federation of Teachers, which is an affiliate of the American Federation of Labor.

We represent classroom teachers of all levels, from the kindergarten. through the teachers' colleges.

First, I want to say we are in favor of this bill.

As Mrs. Dent has just said, we are especially gratified to have the single salary schedule because we have been working for that for 20 years and we are also glad about the liberalization of the classes.

In our recommendations to Dr. Corning, in the last of November 1946, we advocated a minimum of $2,600 instead of the $2,500. We also recommended six increments of $200 rather than the 12 of $100, so we would not have to wait quite so long to get our money.

On the whole, we feel this bill is satisfactory and we urge its passage.

We would like to have included in the bill, a little statement saying that we would go automatically to the group D, or group B when we have qualified for that group, according to specified requirements. We would rather like to be safeguarded there.

We also recommend, as Mrs. Ward has just said, for the attendance officers, that they be granted the privileges granted to teachers in their relations to substitutes and vacations.

From 1924 to 1945 there was no increase for the teachers in the District. When we did get the Salary Act of 1945, it was not satisfactory to the teachers. This is evidenced by the fact that we cannot hold the teachers we have and are not attracting new ones. It is a cause for alarm when 1 out of over 18 teachers in the District is temporary, as Dr. Corning has told you, when besides that there are 44 actual vacancies.

Teachers are expected to set a standard for their pupils and for the community.

They must be well dressed and well groomed, which takes money. They are expected to keep up with current events, to take part in civic and community life, and to grow professionally as well as to teach. That means subscribing to magazines, buying books, attending lectures and concerts, traveling, taking courses in colleges and universities besides buying these necessary items of equipment for their classrooms.

That takes money, too, and more than most of us have.

A teacher works hard for long hours.

Not long ago, an article appeared in the local newspapers stating teachers worked only 5 hours a day for 5 days a week.

I wish the person who made that statement could just teach for a week.

We are expected to be expert statisticians, clerks, policemen, Emily Post, nursemaids, traffic inspectors, playground assistants, all in addition to our real job of teaching.

Every evening we spend two or three hours in preparation for the next day's lessons and another hour or two correcting papers.

We put in a full day's hard work all right.

I, myself, average about 52 hours a week. I have checked it very carefully.

If we are sick we pay for our substitutes. That was a question that came up the other day. We pay for that out of our salary.

We cannot think of saving any money, or not very much, on our pay and our retirement pay is not enough to live on, so we really have not any feeling of security. No one can wonder why experienced teachers are resigning. There was a net loss of 55 teachers last year. That is from the report of educational editor of the Star who I understand received his reports from the NEA for that information. They have resigned for better paying jobs. No wonder we are not

attracting any more young people and especially young men to our ranks.

All over the country there is a growing realization of the seriousness of the teacher shortage. State legislatures and school boards are taking steps to remedy the situation. My own State of Indiana has just passed a salary bill, setting a minimum of $2,400 for a B. A. degree. Virginia has taken steps to raise salaries. So has Maryland. The movement is growing; the District should not be a follower. We should set an example for all the States with our salary bill.

We are told by educators, lecturers, writers, statesmen-including Mr. Truman-that the fate of the Nation, and of the world, is in the hands of our schools. Let's give those schools adequately trained personnel, adequately paid.

On behalf of the Teachers Union, Local 8 of the AFL, I urge the passage of bill S. 1088.

Mr. BATES. As is?

Mrs. VESTAL. We would like a few little things added if possible, but we take it as is because we feel most of our recommendations have been met.

Mr. BATES. I noticed you made some qualifying statements there. Mrs. VESTAL. We really would have liked to have $200 increments, six of them but that is probably not going to happen.

Mr. BATES. Have you been reading our minds?

Mrs. VESTAL. I am afraid I have. You see, I have kind of grown up with the legislative mind.

Mr. BATES. The State of Indiana recently passed a minimum $2,400 bill. What do you mean by that? That they are establishing in the State of Indiana, say, a salary schedule for teachers, all schools, or are they proposing, say a basis?

Mrs. VESTAL. That is a basis.

Mr. BATES. They say they will provide reimbursement to a city or town through taxes?

Mrs. VESTAL. I understand that is what they will do, so no teacher will be paid less than $2,400.

Now in the large cities and some of the wealthier communities, they of course have a much higher salary than that; but that will be the minimum, and I think that is pretty good for a State which maybe is not quite as wealthy as some of the Eastern States.

Mr. BATES. I think a little discussion could take place on that in some of our Eastern States.

Thank you very much, Mrs. Vestal.

The next witness will be Mr. Donald Murray of the UPWA.

STATEMENTS OF DONALD MURRAY, LEGISLATIVE REPRESENTATIVE, UPWA, CIO; CATHERINE G. HURLEY, PRESIDENT, TEACHERS UNION, UPWA, CIO; AND JOSEPHINE H. ROSS, VICE PRESIDENT, TEACHERS UNION, UPWA, CIO

Mr. MURRAY. There are a couple of teachers with me, that I would like to have at my elbow here.

Mr. BATES. Yes.

Mr. MURRAY. They are Catherine G. Hurley and Josephine H, Ross, president and vice president of the teachers union.

Mr. BATES. Are you a teacher, Mr. Murray?

Mr. MURRAY. I am legislative representative for the international union and these people are officers of the local union here in the district of Columbia and are teachers themselves, and that is why I was anxious to have them here.

Mr. BATES. Are you a citizen of the District, Mr. Murray?

Mr. MURRAY. I am a citizen of the District and a home owner here and a parent with children in school.

Mr. BATES. How long have you lived here?

Mr. MURRAY. About 6 years.

Mr. BATES. You are a resident here?

Mr. MURRAY. Yes. I am interested in it as a parent, as well as legislative representative for the Public Workers, CIO.

I want to try not to repeat any information that has been supplied to the committee. As I have been listening, it has occurred to me that there is really only one basis upon which we can decide what is an adequate bill to pass.

As I see it, there is only one sound basis, and that is not in comparison with the cost of living, nor perhaps a comparison with the salary schedules which are now in effect in other cities through the country; because as we all know, cities all over the country are facing the same problem we are facing here today, and I could go through with you, as I have brought the material, negotiations that our union is conducting with cities and States on this same problem, representing the teachers there.

I think the only sound basis, then, is what is required to make a teacher's job at least as attractive and perhaps a little more attractive than the other opportunities for employment which a teacher has, and with which we must compete in order to secure good people for our school system.

I think we all recognize that this current national recognition of the problems of teachers comes late, and comes at a time when most authorities agree that we face an emergency, and sometimes we have to wait for an emergency to really get down to business and do something.

I want to state further that the teachers have a feeling of appreciation and confidence in the School Superintendent; that through our dealings with him we know he is interested in the welfare of the District school system; and as a parent I am glad to hear him fighting in behalf of a better school system for the District.

The recommendations and things I want to talk about which we regard as shortcomings in this bill simply reflect a different kind of balancing of the factors, perhaps in relation to the three subjects I want to talk about, than the Superintendent has taken.

I think there is room for that sort of difference in balancing the factors which are involved.

I do not know, of course, the factors the Superintendent used in making his decisions, but it has already been mentioned that there were three recommendations from the legislative council which were not included in this bill.