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Domestic News
April 18, 1949
The Augusta Courier
Augusta, Richmond County, Georgia
What is this article about?
In Georgia, 1,833 school teachers have left state employment over the past 30 weeks due to low salaries and high living costs, with estimates of 5,000 more departing by September. Rural areas are hit hardest, leading to unqualified teachers and public outcry over education quality.
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OCR Quality
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Full Text
GEORGIA HAS LOST 1833 TEACHERS IN PAST 30 WEEKS
People of State Certain To Give Politicians Fits About Schools
The rumblings from school teachers is ominous of things to come. These rumblings from the school teachers will gradually grow into a roar that will be heard from one end of the state to the other. Finally, the roar will not come from the school teachers. The roar will come from the people of Georgia when they wake up to find that all of the good school teachers have either left the state or gone into some other kind of business.
For 30 weeks now school teachers have been leaving the state employment at the rate of 60 a week, and 1833 have left in the last 30 weeks. They are still leaving at the rate of 60 a week and from now on the number will grow larger.
When September comes next year school teachers will be leaving the state in droves and the schools over the state are going to be searching the country side for anybody they can get to teach.
Teachers have taught for a long time because they love their work and they felt it a patriotic duty to stick to the school children and to their chosen profession.
However, the high cost of living and better salaries paid elsewhere is gradually drawing out of Georgia the best school teachers in the state.
This does not hold true in the cities as much as it does in the rural counties. Most of the cities have had enough taxable wealth to raise enough money in taxes to pay higher salaries than is possible in the rural counties.
The City of Atlanta is in a better fix than any other school system. The Atlanta school system has the highest salary schedule of any unit in the state. The City of Atlanta only raises the equal of a 9 mill levy for the support of its school system, and this amount is enough to pay high salaries.
Everywhere else in Georgia a 15 mill tax is levied, and they still do not have enough money.
The result of the failure of the April 5 election will draw the good teachers out of the rural sections into the cities, and many out of the state.
The department of education estimates that at least five thousand teachers will leave the state come September.
Already, out of 23 thousand teachers in Georgia, there are 12 thousand who do not have the proper qualifications to teach. They have not been properly educated or trained themselves.
When we add to this list 5000 more, then the people of Georgia will start to howl, and the roar will be heard from one end of the state to the other.
The roar of the school teacher is gradually and surely waking up the people whose children will go to school.
The teachers can go elsewhere and find other employment. The children can't. The children must go to school at home, and they are already getting second rate teachers. When this exodus is finished, they will have third rate teachers teaching in the schools of Georgia.
Georgia needs better teachers. They should be paid a salary at least equal to that paid janitors and grease monkeys.
The interest Uncle Sam is paying every year now amounts to more than the total cost of running the Government in 1933 - just 15 years ago.
People of State Certain To Give Politicians Fits About Schools
The rumblings from school teachers is ominous of things to come. These rumblings from the school teachers will gradually grow into a roar that will be heard from one end of the state to the other. Finally, the roar will not come from the school teachers. The roar will come from the people of Georgia when they wake up to find that all of the good school teachers have either left the state or gone into some other kind of business.
For 30 weeks now school teachers have been leaving the state employment at the rate of 60 a week, and 1833 have left in the last 30 weeks. They are still leaving at the rate of 60 a week and from now on the number will grow larger.
When September comes next year school teachers will be leaving the state in droves and the schools over the state are going to be searching the country side for anybody they can get to teach.
Teachers have taught for a long time because they love their work and they felt it a patriotic duty to stick to the school children and to their chosen profession.
However, the high cost of living and better salaries paid elsewhere is gradually drawing out of Georgia the best school teachers in the state.
This does not hold true in the cities as much as it does in the rural counties. Most of the cities have had enough taxable wealth to raise enough money in taxes to pay higher salaries than is possible in the rural counties.
The City of Atlanta is in a better fix than any other school system. The Atlanta school system has the highest salary schedule of any unit in the state. The City of Atlanta only raises the equal of a 9 mill levy for the support of its school system, and this amount is enough to pay high salaries.
Everywhere else in Georgia a 15 mill tax is levied, and they still do not have enough money.
The result of the failure of the April 5 election will draw the good teachers out of the rural sections into the cities, and many out of the state.
The department of education estimates that at least five thousand teachers will leave the state come September.
Already, out of 23 thousand teachers in Georgia, there are 12 thousand who do not have the proper qualifications to teach. They have not been properly educated or trained themselves.
When we add to this list 5000 more, then the people of Georgia will start to howl, and the roar will be heard from one end of the state to the other.
The roar of the school teacher is gradually and surely waking up the people whose children will go to school.
The teachers can go elsewhere and find other employment. The children can't. The children must go to school at home, and they are already getting second rate teachers. When this exodus is finished, they will have third rate teachers teaching in the schools of Georgia.
Georgia needs better teachers. They should be paid a salary at least equal to that paid janitors and grease monkeys.
The interest Uncle Sam is paying every year now amounts to more than the total cost of running the Government in 1933 - just 15 years ago.
What sub-type of article is it?
Education
Economic
What keywords are associated?
Georgia Teachers
Teacher Exodus
School Salaries
Education Crisis
Rural Schools
Where did it happen?
Georgia
Domestic News Details
Primary Location
Georgia
Event Date
Past 30 Weeks
Outcome
1833 teachers have left state employment; estimated 5000 more to leave by september; leading to unqualified teachers in schools
Event Details
School teachers in Georgia are leaving state employment at a rate of 60 per week due to low salaries and high cost of living, with rural areas most affected; cities like Atlanta pay better; failure of April 5 election exacerbates the issue; 12,000 of 23,000 teachers already unqualified