Scarlet Fever Shut Seattle's Schools—Then the Board Cut Teachers' Pay

At 3 o'clock yesterday afternoon the doors of all the public schools of the city were closed by order of the board of health, and will remain closed until further notice. Not only was this done, but the committee on education made a number of recommendations as to the salaries of teachers and officers, and the report was adopted unanimously by the board.

After instructing Superintendent Barnard to close the schools conformably to the order of the board of health, the board passed a motion that the teachers be given until June in which to finish up the work of the year; instructed the secretary to notify the owners of buildings rented by the district that they would not be needed after tomorrow; and ordered that the district would not pay rent for buildings used by the district after the present month.

The graduating class presented a petition of some anxiety, but the matter was solved by a resolution that the teachers report to the superintendent the names of pupils entitled to diplomas, and that the usual diplomas be granted, as no examinations and no commencement can be held. Satisfaction was expressed in reference to promotions.

The building committee was abolished, and MacDougall was made a member of the auditing committee, vice Spencer, resigned, and King was given the place on the committee on buildings and grounds heretofore held by Spencer.

The report of the committee on education fixes the school year at nine months and provides that all employees be hired by the month. The maximum salary for teachers in the grammar grades was fixed at $65 per month, except that those now paid $75 will continue to receive that sum as long as they are employed. Teachers receiving less than $70 are to be given an increase of $2 per month per year until the $70 mark is reached. Other salaries per month were fixed for the high-school principal, the Denny school principal, the principals of the Minor, Pacific, Rainier, South and Mercer schools, the secretary of the board, the vice-principal of the high school, and janitors. The special teachers of music, drawing and physical culture were dispensed with. The following resolution was adopted:

"That in hiring teachers in future, preference be given to persons who are bona fide residents of Seattle, and graduates either of the Seattle high school or the state university; provided, always, that such parties have the requisite qualifications as teachers."

J. B. MacDougall, of the school board, is more than displeased at the action taken in regard to salaries, and denounces it as a political move in the interest of Fred Ogden, secretary. Brains, he says, are at a discount, while a political pull is at a premium. With the departments of music, drawing, physical culture and writing wiped out, Seattle's record is to be lowered, and the declaration made to the outside world that professional skill and experience are not wanted. Mr. MacDougall prepared the following statement as an index to the action of the board:

Democratic secretary, increased from $1,200 to $1,500. Principal of high school, cut from $1,700 to $1,350. High school teachers, cut from $1,000 to $810. Principal of Denny school, cut from $1,500 to $1,260. Principals of South, Mercer, Rainier, Pacific and Minor schools, cut from $1,400 to $1,125. Maximum salary of teachers cut from $700 to $650.

"For the life of me," said Mr. MacDougall, "I can't see why the salaries of the teachers should be decreased and the salary of the secretary increased. Whose work is likely to increase? The teachers, of course, for every year the number of children in attendance becomes greater. But will the secretary's work increase? So far as I can see, about all he does now is to tend to his cigar stand down town and let his office run itself. One never can catch him at the telephone.

"When the school board was elected, it was understood that the departments of music, drawing, physical culture and writing were to be continued. Now I want to know who gave the members of the board the authority to wipe out those departments. Did the taxpayers or the parents of the children? This has been King's fight all the time, and now that it has been successful I want to know who in the world gave the authority or asked for any privilege to reduce the school year from ten months to nine. The taxpayers never asked it, for I am as heavy a taxpayer as any in this town, and I asked the board for nothing of the kind.

"It seems that any talent that has been advanced in the past five years has been entirely wiped out. If there are any departments entitled to consideration, they are the four departments that have been eliminated. They gave to the children who might be precocious the only opportunities they had to develop their natural bent, for their parents would not be able to do anything for them outside of the schools.

"It is unfortunate that, outside of one or two members, the school board is made up of hirelings, and they should not be so unjust as to go to work and deprive the poor people of what they are justly entitled to in the several departments which have been wiped out, which they cannot afford to give to their children."

Mr. MacDougall says he stayed away from the meeting purposely, because he knew it would be of no use for him to attend. The discreditable action, as he terms it, is entirely on the shoulders of other members.

It was impossible to find the other members of the board in time to publish their defense of the action to which Mr. MacDougall takes exception.