Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1876-04-17
THE CITY SCHOOLS.


The close of a scholastic year il
the city schools is near at hand
Active members of the Schoo.
Board are planning and preparing
the work for the coming year. We
had occasion last week to notice
an important resolution presented
to that body at their last meeting
upon which this people will expect
prompt and decided action. Thus
far the Board has done well in rails
ing a special committee, with IN
s%tructiOns to investigate and report
to the next meeting. We hope it
will complete the work by directing
the high schools to be closed. In
another matter which was presented
to that same meeting their action
was not so commendable. When
the proposition was made to move
the Office of the Board to Market
street school building, to save four
hundred dollars rent, it was de-
feated by a large vote. A commit
tee had been appointed to look
out for other and cheaper
quarters, and their report was
that there was an excellent
vacant room in the Market street
building which was not in use by
the schools and was well adapted
to the purpose of board meetings.
Why the Board did not order the
move to be made at once it is diff
cult to find out. The large, ele-
CANT, comfortable building at Mar
ket street was designed and built
for no other purpose. 1t is more
comfortable than the rooms now
occupied in Odd Fellows building,
and it costs nothing; the rooms at
present occupied cost four hundred
dollars a year, and did cost five hun
bred up to the beginning of THU
year. In the matter of distance il
is more convenient to a majority Of
the teachers, as it is to very many,
if not a majority Of, the Board
There can be no sound reason why
this rent should be paid. 1t is 8
waste which ought not to be allow
ed for a month longer and for which
no good excuse can be framed since
the Market street building
was finished. If we are no
greatly mistaken it was said about
a year ago that the Board could mo-
or would not publish their annual
report for 1S74-75 because thel
wanted to save money. This wa
done in the face of a provision il
their charter requiring them to
publish annually a sworn report
of their proceedings for the infor.
nation of the people. The one.
fourth Of that rent money would
have published an excellent report
as is done in all other cities. Thi
publication is a most impoftan.
one-infnitely more useful and i'm
portant than those Centennial book
Of which we have heard so mucl
lately. When fimsy excuses arr
made for the neglect of importan.
duties, and no excuse at all is giyel
for most unreasonable acts by sucl
a body as the School Board, tn
public are apt to suspect somethin.
wrong. In this matter of the rem
Of a building for School Boar
meetings and an Office, we do nc
believe there is anything imprope.
except mere neglect. The hous
was occupied before the MarkC
street building was finished, an
since it was finished no one hi
taken the trouble to make the NOV
1t cannot be possible that there
anything more in the matter tina
that inertia in their moyemen.
which too often charaeterizes d,
Lucrative bodies. We hope tn
unnecessary and wasteful rent wi
be shut off before the end of al
other month, and the money tn,
saved appropriated to a more us
full and better purpose.
The Senatobia Miss It'd