BUDGET REQUIREMENTS OF DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA MONDAY, APRIL 21, 1947 JOINT SUBCOMMITTEE ON FISCAL AFFAIRS OF THE COMMITTEES ON THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, The joint subcommittee met at 10 a. m., pursuant to adjournment, in the Senate District Committee Room, Capitol, Washington, D. C., Senator Harry P. Cain (chairman of the joint subcommittee) presiding. Present: Senator Cain (chairman of the joint subcommittee); Representative Bates (cochairman of the joint subcommittee.) Senator CAIN. I should like to call our Monday morning session to order, please, and we will very promptly continue our hearings from where they were dropped on Saturday of last week. If Mr. Paul Cooke, of Local 27, American Federation of Teachers, is here, as he is, we will ask him to come to the table, properly identify himself, and proceed. STATEMENT OF PAUL COOKE, PRESIDENT, AMERICAN FEDERATION OF TEACHERS, AMERICAN FEDERATION OF LABOR, LOCAL 27, WASHINGTON, D. C. Mr. COOKE. My name is Paul Cooke, and I am president of the American Federation of Teachers, Local 27. We can state our position, Mr. Senator, very briefly on the bill. Mr. COOKE. We approve, in principle, of the single salary scale. I think you heard reference to it by another A. F. T. member Saturday, that for more than twenty years the A. F. T. have called for single salary scale. In our published recommendations in December, we advocated a single salary scale. We are very much in agreement with that. At that time we also advocated liberalized promotions to the B and D salary groups, and that has been done in the recommendations of H. R. 2976, and S. 1088. We also are substantially in agreement with the increase of the minimum and the increase of the maximum. Now, where we recommend that your joint committee make further study is the matter of the $200 increment in the place of the $100 increment; the matter of $2,600 minimum in place of the $2,500 minimum; the matter of attendance officers, about which you heard quite a bit Saturday. Senator CAIN. What do you have in mind about them, may I ask? Mr. COOKE. We want them regarded in the same category as teachers; that is the essence of it. The arguments that you heard were in substantial agreement with that. We want them regarded as teachers. We are in agreement, too, that some recognition should be given to those teachers who have preparation in excess of their M. A. degree in the elementary and high schools. We support that. Now, about where the money is coming from, the union, in assembled body, has supported the increased Federal lump-sum payment. We realized that that is not going to be enough, and we have also advocated income-tax payments by those who work in the District of Columbia who at present do not pay taxes here. We have taken no documented or recorded stand, but the sense of the members is the support of the liquor and gas taxes for increased revenue; to support, if necessary, an increased income-producing realty tax, in excess of $1.75 per hundred. I hope you do not pin me down too closely on the sales tax, sir, but I think that that would be a last resort before the union would support the sales tax for the source of revenue for this bill, and for other services in the District of Columbia. Senator CAIN. I am willing to let the witness pin himself down. Mr. COOKE. I think that is our statement. Although we have made no recorded stand on the sales tax, the sense of the body is, and it is the sense, the thinking of the teachers, rather than to move for the legislation Senator CAIN. That you think and hope Mr. COOKE. That there will be no sales tax. Senator CAIN. That there will be no need for a sales tax. Mr. COOKE. Yes, sir. Senator CAIN. Feeling that revenue is sufficient to do the job and can be raised from other sources which you could more enthusiastically condone and support. Mr. COOKE. You have stated it, sir. Senator CAIN. But you are by no stretch of the imagination freezing the possibility of the need for a sales tax. Mr. COOKE. That is right, too. Senator CAIN. If I understand you correctly. Senator CAIN. You do not like it for a number of understandable reasons, but you have such a tremendous desire and hope for the legis lation we are discussing now that if it became necessary on proof. you would be willing to sit down and look at it again. Mr. COOKE. Look at it again, that is right. We feel that the sufficient importance of the teachers' salary might in-the teachers' salary legislation might outweigh the opposition to the sales tax eventually. Senator CAIN. Right. Mr. COOKE. But we do not record that stand now. Here is a matter we want to bring up before the committee. We would like to know-and you have been concerned about this-how to get the $16,000,000 deficit liquidated, and the revenue therefor we would like to know to what extent the dual nature of the school system here causes additional expenses that might be saved, where there were one school system und not divisions 1 to 9, and 10 to 13. Senator CAIN. Wait a minute. Explain to me what the difference is between 1 to 9 and 10 to 13. Mr. COOKE. As has been stated, 1 to 9 has been established for white pupils, and divisions 10 to 13 for colored pupils, based roughly on the statute of 1906, with which you are probably more familiar that I am. Now, we say this: That the expense of maintaining the dual school system is such that we are considering the various taxes but we might save more money by establishing one school system. You are probably familiar with the Galarza case, where a student, a white student, has been excluded from a colored school by the action of the board, based on this law. Now, in the event this is pushed into court, and it is necessary to establish in the white schools one course-I think it is called costume design-for one student, you can see the tremendous expense that is involved to set up a course there whereas such a course already exists in the divisions 10 to 13 of the colored schools. We say, we point out, what to some extent has been a ridiculous parade of white teachers and colored teachers in the last 2 days talking for the same thing, but representing two groups. We are not concerned about that now. We are concerned with the expense of the dual system in the District of Columbia. We ask whether it is necessary to expend Federal and District funds to set up heads of departments in both divisions, 1 to 9 and 10 to 13; whether that is not a duplication of expense. Now, we are not prepared to document these matters. We are raising this question, however. I have talked informally with Representative Bates about the matter about which we are asking this question, whether this committee is going to consider the excessive nature of maintaining a dual school system. Senator CAIN. I cannot answer that question because I do not know. Mr. COOKE. We would then like to recommend that this committee. consider this problem with the purpose of saving money, for one thing. Senator CAIN. Well, we have raised-the ccmmittee has raised the question Mr. COOKE. Yes, sir. Senator CAIN. With the school officials. We are getting certain facts and figures, and you will not misunderstand me when I say that we take for granted that a duplication of service results in excess costs; that is just obvious. My major concern at the moment is an interest of how many dollars we actually are talking about; secondly, the problem of whether or not there should be a dual system of education within the District of Columbia, in my individual opinion, is a matter that I should like to think would be considered and solved by the citizens of the District of Columbia. It is a problem of tremendous dimensions: it is a social problem; it is a long-range objective, and things of that sort, so I think, and I would know that you and I understand each other exactly on that score. Certainly, on a matter of finance, Mr. Bates and I both would not like to get ourselves into a problem of human relations, and conduct and things of that sort, but that is not to close the door. We do not know yet how many dollars we are talking about, and that is impor tant. Mr. COOKE. May I ask one question, sir? Mr. COOKE. How would the citizens of the District of Columbia, in your thinking, be able to resolve the question of this sort when they have no government, no means and no procedure to vote? I do not want to bring in any other extraneous matter, but I just was wondering how it could be achieved. Senator CAIN. No. 1, I am not qualified to say because I have not lived in this District long enough to say how feelings of citizens are brought to a head. My mind tells me that much of the legislation we are presently considering comes to us as a result of community meetings held in the past and over a period of months or even years. Mr. COOKE. Years. Senator CAIN. That is an inadequate response, but I can give you no other for I am not qualified to know how you would actually bring a matter of that character to a head. But in talking to Doctor Corning, as we continue so to do, we get into the money angle, which brings out the need for consideration by ourselves or preferably by the citizens of the District, and then the doctor could give Mr. Bates and me advice on how that can be handled. Mr. COOKE. That completes my testimony, sir. Senator CAIN. I take it you have only four broad areas of disagree ment. Mr. COOKE. That is right. Senator CAIN. They are improvement disagreements. Mr. COOKE. Yes, sir. Seantor CAIN. That you are merely looking for legislation which is an improved article from your point of view from what we are considering. Mr. COOKE. I would say that is substantially right. Seantor CAIN. We appreciate your testimony very much. Mr. COOKE. In giving this testimony-in addition to what I have testified to-I would like to file this letter which states here in substance what our views are. Senator CAIN. It will be made part of the record. Mr. COOKE. Thank you, sir. (The document referred to is as follows:) AMERICAN FEDERATION OF TEACHERS, JOINT SENATE AND HOUSE DISTRICT COMMITTEE, GENTLEMEN: Inasmuch as the union proposal made over a period of 20 years, specifically for a single salary scale, and the union recommendations for a liberalized promotion plan and a higher minimum and maximum all have been incorporated in the Board of Education plan and in the bills for salary amendment, we support H. R. 2976 and S. 1008. We ask further study, however, of a proposed salary class for teachers with preparation beyond that of the master's degree. In reference to the problem of providing the necessary revenue for the salary increases we recommend the following: (1) Taxing income of individuals working in the District of Columbia but residing elsewhere, and (2) increasing the Federal lump-sum payment to the District of Columbia. Respectfully yours, Paul Cooke, PAUL COOKE, President. Legislative Representative. Senator CAIN. Our next witness is Miss Bernadette L. Dore, legisfative chairman, Association of Elementary Principals. STATEMENT OF BERNADETTE L. DORE, LEGISLATIVE CHAIRMAN, ASSOCIATION OF ELEMENTARY PRINCIPALS, WASHINGTON, D. C. Miss DORE. Good morning, sirs. I represent the elementary principals, 53 in number, of divisions 1 to 9 in the District. Our group agreed upon and voted to accept this bill for teachers' legislation as proposed by Dr. Corning. We endorse it primarily from this standpoint: That it gives to the elementary school teacher the same compensation for the same qualifications as other teachers, and that is the point that our group, as principals, have been working for for many years. Senator CAIN. That has never been recognized as a principle heretofore in the District? Miss DORE. No; not until 2 years ago-1945. Our group is concerned with the professional status of the teachers. The teachers, as a group, must assume and maintain the appearance of a highly paid professional group and must do that for many reasons, as you know. They have got to do it on the salary, in some cases, of unskilled laborers, because in some cases unskilled laborers are getting a higher scale of salary than the school teacher. I feel that the salary is intimately tied up with the morale of inservice teachers as well as the recruitment of the future teachers, and unless their salaries are placed high enough to attract and to maintain, our future legislators, our future doctors, our future unskilled laborers are placed in a precarious position. I feel that those are the points that we would like to make in favor of this bill. Senator CAIN. Thank you. They will be considered. Miss DORE. Thank you, sir. Senator CAIN. May we now hear from a representative of the Federation of Citizens Associations? That designation is immediately followed by the name of Mr. Woolsey W. Hall, president of District of Columbia Federation of Civic Associations. I presume those two are one and the same thing, and that the Civic Associations is for the colored representatives. We would be very pleased to hear from you, Mr. Hall. STATEMENT OF WOOLSEY W. HALL, PRESIDENT, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA FEDERATION OF CIVIC ASSOCIATIONS, WASHINGTON, D. C. Mr. HALL. My name is Woolsey W. Hall, and I am president of the Federation of Civic Associations. Insofar as we have democratic processes, the two federation presidents are elective heads of their respective communities. I am the head of the colored community which composes this association. We have come down to endorse heartily the increase in teachers' salaries the minimum to attract and hold the beginners and the maximum to continue the services of those who have developed in our schools. We rather favor the 12 steps as set out, and as I sat Saturday all day, it was rather a remarkable thing to me that busy gentlemen |