Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1881-04-12
CITY BOARD OF EDUCATION.
The New Important Change
In Terms.

In Terms
The City Board of Education met last
evening. Present. full Board. A COM
mittee of Principals was present, and sub
mitted IN writing the proposed plan for pro-
motions heretofore referred to. It was as
follows:
That the pupils of the high and gram
mar schools shall be promoted only on
the unanimous recommendations of their
teachers and the Principal of the school of
which they are members. That the teachers
of the third and fourth grades shall be pro-
NOTED with their pupils, and after passing
through the fourth, third and second grades,
shall return to the fourth grade; but in case
there should not be pupils sufficient in the
second and third grades at the time of pro-
motion TO give each teacher of the next lower
grade position, then it shall be the study of
the Principal of said school TO designate what
teacher or teachers are to remain in the third
or the fourth grades for the second year,
and such selection shall always be made
with references TO the ability and tact OF
the teacher to instruct in these grades. The
teachers on reaching the second grade may
be assigned by the Principal to instruct in
those branches in which they have been most
successful in the third and fourth grades. 1t
Is further recommended that the pupils from
the fifth grade be admitted to the grammar
schools on a written examination prepared
and conducted by the Principals of the gram
mar schools.
Superintendent Landes read paper set
ting forth his objections to the plan. the
chief point of which was objection to the
promotion of teachers, the plan otherwise
meeting his approval. He believed the plan
would remove the checks now deemed
efficient by which the teachers now see to 1t
that those of the grades below do the work
allotted them, leaving none to be done in the |
upper grade. The present system is an aid |
to the Principals in detecting poor work. 1t
is a benefit to pupils to have a change of
teachers once year. Assigning to each |
teacher a particular branch of work seems
now to work we'll He admitted that the |
proposed plan would work Improvement !
in the teachers, giving them broader
experience, etc. The public schools,
however, are not intended TO be |
to develop the minds of the pupils. The |
plan also lessons the work of Principals,
as they will have little else to do than to |
teach their classes and attend to common !
routine work.
After some remarks by members, in which
they reserved their judgments, the matter
was laid over until the next meeting.
In the matter of bids for supplies, it was
found that the advertisement for bids for sup
plies must be made in June and September,
and H. S. Croker & Co. offering to supply
at old bid rates until June, the Board ac.
cepted the offer.
Miss Florence Chapman applied for posi-
ton as teacher.
The President said he had received an I'M
sealed communication which preferred no
charges against any teacher in the depart
ment, but related wholly to private matter.
He asked leave to seal and return the com.
munication without reading to the Board,
and leave was granted.
The Board, on motion of Mr.. Stalker, de-
clared the 26th of April school holiday.
The Committee on Salaries reported, and
the report was laid over for consideration at
the next meeting.
The Board then resumed consideration of
its rules and discussed and adopted rules from
% to AZ inclusive. The most important of
these is one which it is understood an
swers to the public desire, and is
the result of the necessity of bringing the
school year into harmony with the new
school law. Heretofore the first school term
of the school year has been broken one, un-
der which school has been kept in June and
July, followed by vacation until October,
and resumption of the term. Under the
the two terms will be unbroken. The result
is that this year there will be four months of
vacation, l. e. from the close of the present
school year. at the end of May, until Octo-
ber The new rule provides that there shall
be two terms in each school year, with one
long and two short vacations. The first term
begins on the first Monday in October and
closes the last Friday in February. The sec
ond term commences the second Monday in
March and continues to the last Friday in
July. Vacations take place in the winter
holiday week and in March. and the long va
cation in August and September. To get
the rule into operation it was necessary.
therefore, this year to have no school in June
and July, and hence the four months recess.
The Board was unanimous in the belief
that the broken term in summer, under the
old system, resulted in practical loss to
pupils, so many remaining out of classes Ill
June and July that on reassembliug in Octo-
Der the classes had practically to begin over
again with the course of study for the school
year. Under the new rule teachers this year
lose two months salary, but make it up in
two years, while the scholars receive the same
number of months of teaching and suffer no
loss. These matters were all considered and
debated, and the new rule was then unani-
mously adopted.