New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-02-12
BROOKLYN'S PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
NEED OF A REFORM IN MANAGEMENT.

NEED OF A REFORM IN MANAGEMENT.
FEEBLE AND FRUITLEss WORK OF LARGE AND
UNwIELDY BOARD OF EDUCATION.
It was thought in Brooklyn after the startling cx-
posure of the lax methods of the BOar1 of Education
| In connection with the stealing OF quarter
Of million dollars by its secretary q. a.
W. Stuart, that the Board would adopt more 9usl-
ness-like methods and that its proceedings woudno
| he omen to so much unfavOrabe criticism. IN
mediatcv upon assuming Office Mayor Low lan me
| fortv-iive members of the Board, Some of these
were the men Of most marked ability in the Board
but the Mayor fit to reapp0lnt only one OF inc
fifteen. and that one the least conspicuous. SIX
months later the Mayor appointed the successors OF
fifteen of the members: lie then dlli
not make so clean sweep, b1t reappoInc,u.
nearly One-half As constituted since July,
1889. more than n majority of the members nave
been men appointed by Mayor Low. and nearly hall
Of the Board are entirely new men. But the hopes
that n new Board would mean new management
have proved decisive, As heretofore the meetings
Of the Board are largely occupied I'm frultless ds-
cussons often OF petty matters, without apprecabIc
CITY, and The real work Is entirely
rclegated to committees, eighty-sevon in
have been laid aside atho meetings in favorof those
Of less importance and unable, by reason OF the
food of talk do its business at the monthly stated
meetings. since December -. with the exception
of the first weak in January the Board has met
weekly. Still the amount OF unfinished business Is
not very porccptIhlv reduced The members admit
omen and fragrant violation OF their own rules but
no steps ny" taken either toabrogate the rules or
enforce them.
Recently, measures were adopted to increase INC
salaTi OF several weil-pad employees IN the Once
Of tie Board and a movement was started 10 IN.
crease thc salaries of the principals and headS OF
dcpartmrntl but the opposition which the latter
step called forth was such that The plan Was-iem-
porarllv at lcasf-abandoucd. II VIII a!aln ne
hroueht NO on February IL. There iF ~ curious in
sid" history ~ this movement on ~" part OF IN"
Boar 70 increase tho salaries of few of thc best
paid teachers. Last year the system of
paving teachers was changed; ana hS.ean
fem now IL 10 nay m ust'lmcUts for each OF the
ZEN month, of the school year. In making Inc
change u the middle cot the year ar Injustice was
done 20 the teachers and each received certain
small fraction of his or her eaary less tnAn should
have been paid AZ the tim" the matter was much
r"c'ed that The princip.s world take me lcat In
th" matter Tho principals did take militia
tive ,stcps. Int t4"-e wcrr sadIden.yI
to drop. n was alleged. and not denied at the fmo'
fh7t tie urlucuols were promised am increase -
m .ir salaries fh8 wear If they would not interfere
IN the matter and the stop, now taken fo make the
lncrcas" tend % prove thn allegations.
At thc same meeting M which the mat Ter of i'm
crcasu- the salaries Of the principals ana hcad9 OF
department, will com" up. n Is proposed to vote
reduction i'm tie salaries of the teachers lh
the lowest primary Glasses. ih'y are
paid $500 year for the first wear. with an
Increase or ahon, 4lOO-varying slightly whether
bows or urls urc tau-ht-lor the second year TINS
increase n IL proposed 20 reduce n ~'O aud N an
ducton Of anout - was made from tho salaries OF
these teachers Tor January, maxine the resolution
retroactive. The teachers nave no remedy agninst
such Injustice except by expensive legal proceed
lng- which they cannot afford.
one of the glarlng nconsls'ences 81 me b"ard -
in thr fuut,c~ of text books II Is well known that
school book publishers make extraordinary efforts
iu their rivalry with each othcr 20 secure tho intro
duciou INTO schools ui their publications and ~ eN-
clude these of rival publishers The rooklFn Board
Of Education has however found a way 10 patron
~ al b., hnV The books - different au hvrs md
Publishers m different schools. The list OF text
books shows no less than eight different authors ~
arithmciIc' each author bring represented hy
different pubuslcr In geography the works OF
seven authors arc used SIX different nited 'tatrs
series of readers supplied to diilcrent schools
Ike variety appear IN other text books. Even IN
Dictionaries there IL no standard. Tor one school
uses Webster and tho ueNt school; or mHtHHe hI-
other department of the same school. uses Norccs
tr While all tue publishers thus dispose ni t'TIr
publications. they likewise sell many more books !
than ~ there WA a uniform standard. for the re
mOyu ~ family OF children from one cnooi district
to another renders necessary the purcha|r OF new
school books. OF course the children suffer ny the
There i.a strong feoline In BROOKLYN ir favor OF |
the bills before the Legislature providing for |
the reduction Of the number q! members 81 the |
Board OF Education 10 fifteen and for free books in
the schools There are two bills OF TINS purport'
differing only IN detail one wipmg ont the present |
Board nnd substituting fifteen mcWbcfs appointed |
by tho Mayor. ana the othor providing for the ap-
pontmrut Of five in Llaro OF tho Ehtteru whose
terms expire each year. for the next three years,
bringing the number down To fifteen IN July, 1883.
Tho necessity OF change il apparent 10 any ono
who attends the meetings OF tho present body and
listens 10 the food Of talk and the mpractlcahlo
measures brought forward One OF the members said
recently that he would rather listen 10 class of
bows debating In the skin primary the lowest In
the schools than to the ruitless discussions of the
Board. Idle twaddlc' were the expressive words
i'm which u listener recently summed up long do
hac IN the Board. II - asserted nv those mem
hers who oppose tho prevailing methods that reform
without an entire change Il impossible; that tho
a. a fp in a rturu w |
and that 70 IL very togo with IL and very hard to
oppose t. Even with tho light given by the cnor
nous peculations at Secretary Stuart. ii only at
this late day that 10 Is proposed TO have the score
tary nut under bonds.