The Archdiocesan Board of Education has raised the salaries of high school lay teachers and recommended that parishes follow the same schedule in their elementary schools.

Following is a letter sent to all pastors, principals and chairman of parish education boards by Dr. J. Norman Berry, Archdiocesan Board Chairman, and Father Daniel J. O’Connor, secretary for education:

At its November meeting, the Archdiocesan Board of Education passed a proposal received from Father Richard Kieran, director of secondary education for the archdiocese, raising the salary schedule of lay teachers in high schools of the archdiocese. A copy of the new salary schedule is enclosed. The board passed the proposal because it felt that Father Kieran was realistic in calling the old salary schedule inadequate for hiring or retaining qualified teachers.

After considerable discussion the board passed an additional resolution advocating this schedule become mandatory for all teachers of the archdiocese, both secondary and elementary, effective the school year 1971-72. Essentially their reasons for this action were as follows:

1. There should be no distinction in the archdiocese between elementary and secondary teachers. All work the same hours each day, all work the same school calendar. Over five years ago, the archdiocese eliminated the discrepancy in salaries between religious teachers on the elementary and secondary level.

2. It is most important for the development of any educational program that there be stability of staff members. Such a desirable stability can only be maintained where there are the following factors:

a. An adequate beginning salary.

b. Yearly increments in salary.

c. Adequate fringe benefits.

At the present time the archdiocese has only the last. Consequently, many of our elementary schools suffer far too large a turnover on their staff than good educational practice can allow.

3. Most important, the salaries we are presently paying our elementary teachers are unjust. There is a minimum RECOMMENDATION of $5,300. Many of our parishes give no increments to staff members who have served in the school for many years. In effect, we are asking our lay teachers to donate at a minimum of $2,000 worth of service to our children each year. By any standpoint, this is unjust, and by Catholic social teaching, it is intolerable.

The Archdiocesan Board realized that their support for this recommendation would undoubtedly raise the tuition of all our schools substantially. We felt, however, that the majority of the parents supporting our schools would accept the increase if it was properly explained to them. First of all it is not an unreasonable increase. It still leaves our schools $1,000 behind the public school salary schedule. Moreover, it would still leave our tuitions far below the rates of other private schools in the Atlanta area which are now close to $1,000 on the elementary level, and in some cases beyond that. Additionally, the increase would enable us to retain teachers that we are presently losing each year, and - more important - attract new teachers who are not qualified, but who are also superior teachers. We would be in the position of being able to choose staff to a much greater extent than our present salary schedule allows.

We realize that any increase in salaries would have to come from tuition rather than be covered in increased parish subsidy. According to Father Kieran, the increase in salaries for St. Pius next year would amount to about $40 per student. We are asking your own parish board to study this salary schedule closely, and indicate to us as exactly as you can to what extent it would increase your own tuition cost and parish subsidy. Would you please do this during December so that we could estimate the total effect of this over the archdiocese before January 8, 1971. Any recommendation that you and your board could make concerning the situation regarding salaries in your own parish or across the archdiocese would also be greatly appreciated.