Teachers Went Begging in Great Depression-- Part 4

But in 1933, the board somehow found the money to secretly give the janitors, who were often patronage workers.  The janitors were already better paid than teachers.

When that news leaked out, John Fewkes, a physical eduaction teacher at Tilden High School, urged teachers to take to the streets.

Teachers were already angry with the payless paydays, scrip that decreased in value and weren't always accepted by local merchants.

Despite all this, teachers were still deeply concerned about their students.  In the Sullivan School District near the steel mills, teachers managed to feed and clothe needy students early on in the Depression, but by 1931 "helping their pupils was out of the question."

--Cooter