Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1882-12-29
The Hoard cs sctoo, Tr;,.,ces.

The Hoard Of school Trustees,
THE REPORT OF THE COMMITTEES on TEACHERS
ADoPTED-A LIVELY DEBATE.
TIE board OF public school trustees held an adj
1oGrne1 meeting last evening, Mr. Brooks in the
iair, all the members present except Mr.. Cragin.
Tie meeting was continuation OF that held on
Td IS lay, which adjourned pe11ny the con iiie--
atioa OF the report OF the committee on teachers,
blset on the examination o, candidates for teach
ere' positions and for promotions, which report
wis PUBLISHED in THE STAR o, Wednesday.
MI. Birney reported tle nomination OF Miss
slse K Merrick, OF the third grade, for the fifth
.5r"de, .2ont division, vie Frances Hooper, for
the month OF lnuary, and it was confirmed.
DIR. Clarke Tered as a substitute 10 the re, OFT
o. the comm ,ttee on teachers, an order that
the notice, OF dismissal OF teachers, recently is
sued by the committee on teachers, be revoked in
te cases of Misses Bali, Bsc,ow, Chadwick and
The chair rulel that the proposition was in the
nature Of an amendment TO the rules, and would
Mr.. Birney appealed from the decision of the
chair.
Mr.. LoveJoy remarked that the committee had
dismissed no one. bat had complied strictly with
the rules, AMI mad Issued the notifications In COM
plance with the rules. He explained in detail the
working Of the rule, AMI said that any deviation
would make trouble.
!, Mr.. Birney said, Notwithstanding the explana-
ton, the purport OF the notification was dismissal
GOOD JUDGMENT VERSUS LAW.
Mr.. Warner said that the simple question was.
and he suggested that the members were prepared
to vote. He claimed that the board could super.
wise the action OF the committee. He suggested
that the report be recommitted till another exam
nation can be held 1t was now question Of
generous or fair action.
Mr.. Lovejoy said the report would seem to he a
hardship. but there were always two parties to
contract In this case the parties the teachers
Oh on2 side and fifty or sixty pupils On the other
The question was one of justice to the pupils as
well as to the teachers They had st ndard
biSed on education. and should continue that
standard Teachers belonging to this city, he
sail, had failed time and time again, and were
suBjG cted to The rules and why should those from
abroad be excepted? He claimed that the acting
teacher WAC failed to appear at the examinations
had no one TO blame but themselves
Mr.. Btrney ilstanced a case where the teacher
received her notification but few days before the
examination
Mr. Levejoy sid he was not responsible, and
had the lady been in his division he would have
seen that she was notified. 1t had been said, too,
that they were not acquainted with the text books
used here. The Idea OF Massachusetts teachers
not being mp 10 text books! He claimed that the
examination was fair. and that the questions were
not too diff; cult. as had been claimed The cues
tens prop 'unde1 TO pupils in the high school, who
were candidates for the normal school, were much
more difficult.
MR. BIRNEY's OBJECTION TO THE EXAMINATION.
Mr.. Blrney said his criticism of the examination
was that 1t was too long, and it was unfair to
pect teachers to appear who ereignOrant OF the
character of the examination They should have
had the lists Of questions used last year. 1t was
not the rules he objected to- but their application.
He claimed that they did not imply a forfeiture of
places. He had written to the ladies in question
that their appointments would be for the re-
ma1nder OF the school year, and he claimed that
those who failed to attend the examination did not
do so in defiance OF the board. II the report was
adopted his position would De embarrassing, for
there would be five vacancies to fill at once. He
would be compelled to take such teachers as he
could find.
Mr.. johnson defended the committee Some of
the teachers who have been left out it was known
"A W nd .toY 6tnr thnf fEnx
Woul not enter the examination under the plea
that their certificates from normal schools all
that was niece SSary. When this was stated he had
asked II at the north the certificate Of the Washing
ton Normal school was sufficient, and had received
negative reply Were they to let teachers come
here and enter the schools, and when the examine
lions come around to set aside the rules because
the teachers came here on the invitation OF q
trustee?
MI. Warner said his views had been changed
very essentially since the meeting had been called
20 ord =. and, while his Sympa; HES were with the
disappointed teachers, he would stand by tue
rules.
THE REPORT ADOPTED.
The vote was then tiken on sustaining the APP
peal, ana IT resulted: Yeas-Mes,rs. Lovejoy,
Nly-Mr. Birney-1: Mr.. Brooks not voting.
The question recurring on the report of the COM
mittee on teachers, it was adopted, all the MEM
Der5 voting In the affirmative, except MI. Birney,
who declined to vote.
Miss Chadwick who was sick at the time OF the
examination OF teachers, was excepted from the
Mr.. Blrney asked that Mr.. Janney, principal OF
the min DIVISION, be detailed to assist Mr. Gage In
the second division, and that Miss Rove assist in
the Office work in the second division. Referred to
the committee Oh teachers with power to act.
MI LoYeJoy made a motion, which was adopted,
that the committee on teachers confer with the
Commissioners with reference to procuring arms
for the high school battalion. Mr.. Loveoy sug-
gested that the detail OF an army officer to drill
the boys be asked.
q ri hon nHi