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Show Signpost-Friday, October 5, 1984 7 Student Enrollment In Education Declines Due To Low Salaries by Loretta Park Staff Reporter "In the last 10 years there has been a dramatic decline in students who enroll in education courses." said Dr. Richard B. Jones, Dean of Education at WSC. "The decline is about fifty percent , generally," he said. Although positions for elementary teachers are increasing by 19.5 percent, according to a Bureau of Labor Report published in March of this year. A report in the Sept. 24 issue of Newsweek stated that the decline in elementary and secondary teachers is because students who want to teach do not want to take the educaton courses. Jones disagrees. He said that the educaton courses are not the primary reason why students are not enrolling. He said that the salary a person can expect when entering the teaching profession is the main reason for the decline. "Teaching has almost non-livable wages for someone who is graduating and has a family," Jones explained. "Teaching is not seen as a viable career for someone who has or is anticipating a family. It is a step above volunteer service or at best a second income."In October of last year, the Salt Lake City School District sent a memorandum to Jean Russell, the , Teacher Placement Coordinator in Career Council-ing, stating that there were two head custodian job positions available. The salary range was $15,791-$18,630 for starting wages. In that same district, teachers, who have four years of college were Pres Brady Issues Challenge To Race The presidential race scheduled for Oct. 27 is just that -a race -and Pres. Rodney H. Brady has challenged anyone willing to try and beat him in the 5,000-meter run. The fourth annual Weber State College "Presidential Challenge" 5,000-meter race gets underway at 9 a.m. and during the past years has consisted of WSC faculty, staff and students as well as the college's Pres. Brady. The event begins in the west parking lot of the Wildcat Stadium and finishes near the Shepherd Union Building. The 3.1 mile run is divided into men's, women's, wheelchair and different age categories. Those few who beat Pres. Brady will receive a certificate stating, "I Beat the President." Prizes will be awarded to the top winners and a free continental breakfast will be served to all participants.The fee for the race is $7 with a t-shirt and $4 without. Registration can take place at most sports stores as well as at the WSC Alumni Office in room 317 of the Miller Administration Building. For further information, contact the WSC Alumni Office at 626-6564. MM DO YOU NEED CLASS MATERIAL DUPLICATED FAST?? Let us orsanize and distribute required readinss and notes to your students with our unique Professor Publishes Plan. Leave required material with Wnko'fc We duplicate and seil direct Low cost to students No charse to you or your department Readins packets prepared FAST! Hours M-Thur 8AM -8PM Fri 8AM-6PM Sat 10AM-6PM OPEN 6 DAYS A WEEK PHONE FOR DETAILS 479-1191 kinko's copies 4421 arrison receiving starting salaries of $13,700. Russell said than an engineer can expect to earn, on the average, about $28,000 starting salary, whereas a teacher in Utah can expect to earn a starting salary that averages approximately $14,000. "Our society's monetary value of entertainment and sports makes you wonder where we have set out priorities," Russell said. "The children are our future. We need to change the value system to compete with industry, business and government. "Teaching is not an eight-hour job," said Russell, "although teachers do not work during the 3 month summer vacation. There is the homework and the preparation that needs to be done and an excellent teacher is always preparing and learning." Why are salaries so low? According to Russell, it is because teaching is looked at as a woman's profession, or work that is done by incompetent people. But, according to Dr. Jones, those students who enter the educaton program are smart, motivated individuals who have a real love to teach, but after several yeasr of teaching, will usually leave the profession.Jones cited an example concerning a man who was employed with a private industry in a scientific field. The man quit his job, came back to school to be certified, only to leave teaching after one year because he could not survive on his salary. He had earned $25,000 a year working for a refuse business while going to school and when he entered the teaching profession, his salary was cut in half. Also, a teacher with a Ph.D who has worked in Davis County School District can expect to earn less than a foreman for a contstruction company in Utah. The average salary for the Ph.D. is $27,000 and the average salary for a foreman is about $30,000. According to Kristie Kato, a WSC alumni and 5th grade teacher in the Davis County School District, there seems to be a lack of importance of educaton and an emphasis toward other things. "Teachers are expected not only to teach but be psychologists, socials workers, etc. Funds and programs seem to be cut back further and further each year," Kato said. "Students who want to enter the teaching profession have the pressure of realizing there is no money," she added. The government is trying to lure students into the teaching program by offering scholarships, such as the Utah Teaching Career scholarships and the Premier Scholarship. Mrs. Russell stated that now it is the private sector's turn to encourage more students into tthe teaching profession. A student bites a teacher. The school psychologist goes berserk. The substitute teacher is a certified lunatic. And students graduate who can't read or write. It's Monday morning at JFK High. x it x I iM : i 1 i TEACHERS United Artists Prejenu An AARON RUSSO Production An ARTHUR HILLER Film surring NICK NOLTE JOBETH WILLIAMS JUDD HIRSCH RALPH MACCHIO "TEACHERS" ALLEN GARFIELD m LEE GRANT x RICHARD MULLIGAN Written by W. R. McKINNEY Production Designed by RICHARD MacDONALD Director of Photography DAVID M. WALSH Urr Executive Producer IRWIN RUSSO Produced by AARON RUSSO Directed By ARTHUR HILLER R SOUNDTRACK AVAILABLE ON KICORDS AND CASSETTES. Featuring the- music of ZZ TOP BOB SEGER JOE COCKER NIGHT RANGER-J8 SPECIAL THt MOTELS FREDDIE MERCURY IAN HUNTER ROMAN HOLUDAY ERIC MARTIN Ic FRIENDS STARTS OCTOBER 5th AT THEATRES EVERYWHERE Across from De Center |