Repository: UIHistories Project: Board of Trustees Minutes - 1938 [PAGE 600]

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598

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

[January 20

LAPSING OF BALANCES IN THE GENERAL RESERVE F U N D

(16) A report that balances in the salaries budgets of the various departments of the University due to positions not filled during the first semester, 1937-1938, or to appointments made at salaries less than the budgetary provisions, totalling $59.I73-G9> are being lapsed for the first half of the academic year 1937-1938, and will go into the General Reserve Fund. Lists of the items making up this total are being given to the Secretary of the Board and the Comptroller for record.

This report was received for record.

APPROPRIATION FOR PRACTICE TEACHING

(17) An emergency has arisen in the practice teaching program of the College of Education which is open to qualified students in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and other divisions who wish to prepare themselves for teaching positions in the high schools of the State. The University is unable to provide for practice teaching for all who desire it in the University High School and for a number of years it has been necessary to secure the cooperation of the public schools of Champaign and Urbana. Up to the present time these facilities have been available without expense but now the practice teaching load has become so heavy that the cooperating teachers in the Champaign and Urbana public school systems cannot be expected to supervise the practice teaching work of University students without some compensation. To meet the immediate emergency for the second semester of 1937-1938 it is recommended that an appropriation of $2,500 be made from the General Reserve Fund for the following: Remuneration of cooperating teachers on the temporary basis of $10 per practice teacher per semester (165 practice teachers estimated) making a total of $1 650 Emergency provision of part-time teaching in the University High School to release time of department heads for supervision of practice teaching 850 Total $2 500 The proposed rate of remuneration for the second semester of the current year ($10 per practice teacher) is based on the assumption that the cooperating teachers in the Champaign and Urbana school systems can be persuaded to accept the additional practice teachers for whom provisions are needed on the basis of this evidence of the University's good will if accompanied by a statement that in the fall of 1938 the University will inaugurate a policy of paying cooperating teachers at the rate of $25 per practice teacher. The latter figure represents a minimum in terms of the practices of other institutions in the midwest, including the Illinois Teachers Colleges. For 1938-1939 it is estimated that the cost of this program would be $9,000. There is a possibility that it might go as low as $8,500 but an equal possibility that it might rise as high as $9,500. The provision of $9,000 would probably be adequate to provide both for the compensation of cooperating teachers and the provision of the needed supervision. A partial way of meeting this situation would be to charge a practice teaching fee of not to exceed $5.00 per semester course per student. This is undesirable as a matter of public policy on the ground that the preparation for the teaching profession, in which low salaries are the general rule, should be made available to students at the lowest possible cost. Another consideration is that the five State Teachers Colleges of Illinois, whose fees in general are considerably lower than those of the University of Illinois, do not include either laboratory or special fees for practice teaching.

On motion of Mrs. Plumb, this plan was approved and the appropriation was made by the following vote: Aye, Mr. Adams, Mr. Karraker, Mr. Mayer, Mr. Moschel, Mrs. Plumb, Mr. Pogue, Mr. Wieland; no, none; absent, Mr. Cleary, Mrs. Freeman, Mr. Horner, Dr. Meyer.