Education: Pedagogues’ Pay

Last week New York City’s Board of Education prepared to dismiss 6,819 teachers, shut night schools, pare many another expense. Reason: Mayor Fiorello H. LaGuardia had cut the board’s budget $3,000,000, and the State Legislature had cut another $5,300,000. As parents and teachers indignantly protested against “wrecking” of their school system, Manhattan’s Borough President Stanley M. Isaacs dramatically demanded that the city’s top school officials take a voluntary salary reduction of 5% to 10%, as had other city officials, including Mayor LaGuardia ($22,500), Park Commissioner Robert Moses ($12,150) , Police Commissioner Lewis Valentine ($11,250). The school officials as dramatically rejected his demand. Thereupon Mr. Isaacs ticked off some pedagogical salaries, to the surprise of not a few New York City taxpayers and the envy of many and many a pennyscraping U. S. pedagogue:

Superintendent of Schools Harold George Campbell—$25,000.*

Nine associate superintendents—$12,500 each.

Seven examiners (of teachers)—$11,000 each.

Thirty assistant superintendents and 60 high-school principals—$10,000 each.

*Not the top U. S. educator’s salary, which is believed to be University of Pittsburgh’s Chancellor John Gabbert Bowman’s $35,000.