CHAPTER- 10 TEACHERS SALARY PACKAGES IN THE INTERNATIONAL CONTEXT

Salary schedules for teachers are in operation in most school systems. Salary schedules, many of which are of recent beginning, have improved teacher morale, lessened the problems involved in budget-making, and given teachers a more accurate picture of what can be expected in the way of salaries in the years to come.

Individual Bargaining

The use of salary schedules came about as a result of the problems and abuses of the earlier "system" of individual bargaining. The principle of salary scheduling is here to stay, but the determination of the best kind of schedule has not yet been made. Modern schedules have alleviated the necessity of moving teachers from their regular positions to higher grades in order to increase their salaries. Their chief limitation is their automatic feature and their lack of objective provision for salary differentials between good and poor teachers.

Single Salary Schedule

The single salary schedule is the most common teacher salary scale in use today. It presumes equal pay for equal service and preparation. Its use has achieved two notable result:

(1) there can be no more discrimination against elementary teachers if their preparation and experience are equal to those of secondary teachers, and

(2) there can no longer be discrimination against women teachers as compared to men of the same qualifications and years of experience.Salary schedules are frequently developed by salary committees through group study. School board members, school administrators, teachers, and lay citizens are usually included in the membership of these committees. They are organized for the purpose of studying the problem of salaries and salary scheduling and recommending changes. The board of education must, of course, retain the power to accept or reject the committee's proposal.

Recommendations for salary Schedule

Many salary committee have found the following recommendations for salary scheduling to be worth consideration:

1. Minimum salaries should be high enough to attract well-educated, promising young people to the teaching profession.

2. Maximum salaries should be high enough to retain highly competent and professionally ambitious men and women in class-room teaching.

3. Equity of treatment of classroom teachers of like qualifications and experience is essential.

4.Annual increments should provide an order progress to the maximum salary.

5. The salary schedule should offer professional stimulation through incentives in recognition of professional qualifications

6. Salary schedules should be adjusted periodically, with due consideration for trends in earnings in other professions and for changes in the cost of living.

7. Salaries of professional school personnel other than classroom teachers should be scheduled in accordance with the principles that apply to classroom teachers, with suitable recognition of responsibilities and preparation for leadership.

8. There should be professional participation by classroom teachers in the development and administration of salary policies.

There are a number of controversial questions involved in salary scheduling which salary committees should study:

1. Should the schedule make provision for the recognition of merit? If so, how shall this be done?

2. Shall the number of increments be the same for alllevels of training?

3. What should be the relationship between the minimum and the maximum salary at each level?

4. What should be the relationship of increments at each level?

5. How can the schedule provide for the career teacher and yet attract young teachers who will teach for only a short time?

6. Which, if any, of the following should be included: dependency differentials, extra pay for extra service, credit for military service, credit for prior service, credit for travel, credit for meritorious service?