National Republican., 1883-09-19
The Report Of the Committee on Ways and
- Means PrOvOkeS Lively Debate.
A Substitute offered by Gen. Brney
Negatved and the Report Adopted.
The List Of Pr'motiOnS Nominations, Assignments, and
transfers Of Principals,
Blow nt Greek in the High school-Tho
Estimates for 's5,

Curtis, Clark, Purvis, and Smith, and Mr.. G.
B. Rheem, secretary.
Some little discussion was had as to the
order Of business, and it was decided that, as
1t was an adjourned meeting, the unfinished
business of tho last session should be disposed
Of First in order was the report of the COM
mittee on ways and means which had been
ordered printed. This report, submitted by
Mr. Brooks, chairman of tho committee, was
as follows:
To THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS
OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Gentlemen; The
committee on ways and means, supplies and &C
Counts, TO whom so much of the letter Of the hon
orable commissioners OF June 26, 1888, as relates
70 accounts and supplies was referred, submits the
following report and recommendations:
The general scope OF the letter Of the commits
sioners, as to acquisitions for supplies, Is in har
mony with the bylaws Of this board and in accord
ance with the PROVISIONS of section g. paragraphs
= and ., defining the duties of this committee.
The following suggestions are made, viz:
shall be The duty Of the supervising principal
the teachers In his division and approve and sub.
init the same to the superintendent, to be for
warded to the committee
Requisitions for regular supplies must be made
nhd forwarded TO the esuperintendents oh or before
the nth day OF each month, and by them for
warded to tine committee with estimated itemiZed
cost on or before the regular meeting day OF the
committee
Articles required for repairs to buildings, heat
lng apparatus, and tools for making repairs shall
be charged to the appropriation for repairs, and
be submitted to and approved by tho committee
Oh buildings and repairs and such articles are
not to be placed on requistions for school supplies
but shall in all cases be rendered separately there
from.
acquisitions for fuel shall, in all cases, be SUBJ
mitted to the commissioners through the respect
i've local committees.
made upon tho committee on supplies and ac-
counts by supervising principals and by prlnci-
paIss OF the high schools % Ghr0ugh the committee
Ave superintendents, whose duty II shall he to
closely serutinize them and approve so much
thereof as in their judgment the needs and inter-
ests OF the schools demand. They shall ConsOi-
date and tabulate said requisltons and show the
name and quantity of each article required, the
division where 1t is needed, the estimated cost
aud to whom the articles are to be delivered
The committee in view of its responsibility to
the board, and the necessity for The information
and in order TO enable the board to intelligenty
manage the school affairs husband the resources
and submit proper and wise recommendations
and acquisitions for and in behalf of the schools
Tor the action of the commissioners, recommends
that the commissioners be requested to furnish to
your committee monthly statements of all ac
counts against the school fund which they have
ordered TO be paid, and Of which the board and
committee have no knowledge including all bills
for repairs TO school buildings, giving names of
buildings and amount expended upon each.
II is absolutely necessary that the board should
be informed as to the amounts expended on ac-
count of the public schools to enable it to prop
erly and intelligently administer public school
by law.
The cost per capita for tuition, incidental ex-
peHscS, Improvements, huu IN 1bCJ tne
whole cost and cost in detail depend upon this in
formation; aud a denial to the committee of this
Ss s 70 % on 1hqmc h oi tte OF
public, and forces upon us very unsatisfactory
administration.
Mr.. Brooks explained the report at length
answering all questions put, and said it was
an honest effort to fully define the relations
between the board and the commissioners in
answer to the suggestions of the commits
sioners. 1t was then discussed at length by
all the members. Gen. Birney expressed
dissatisfaction with the report, and moved as
substitute the following, which he advo-
Gated with much zeal:
Resolved, That in compliance with the invita-.
tion of the district commissioners, extended to
this board In their letter of June 26, 1888 we
respectfully submit 10 them the following sugges
lions:
The decision of the commissioners that "the
providing for all repairs and supplies for schools
is directly confded to their charge" we regard a,
final and conclusive. 1t is based, we presume, on
legal construction which vests "the care and
management Of the schools, =" or educational mat.
ters purely, in the trustees, leaving buildings, re-
pairs supplies and business matters generally III
the hands of the commissioners We hail thi,
giving to school business the great ad-
vantage Of the district government organization
agents, but one of relief to the members of ,hi,
beard from attention to numerous details, mostly
trivial OF executive matters and we trust that thf
TO oil the relations between the trustees and the
commissioners.
Heretofore the respective functions of the schoo
board and district government have not beer
clearly defined. There arc only two classes o.
them-the educational and the business The
former, covering "thc care and management o.
the schools" have practically been for all sub
santal purposes in the hands of the two super
lnendents, who are officers appointed by the
districtcommssloners, and entirely Independent o
this board. The latter have been performed partly
%hout y p" be%een Sas
ana with frequent CLASH hing and controversy. IhI
recent step tthc commissioners assuming all The
business functions leaves this board with nothing
20 do, an eXcrescence upon tho school system nn
less we resume the care aud management OF tho
schools" as provided by law.
We respectfully suggest therefore, tha
the commissioners shall employ the
two appo,i,ntees, the two superintendent
clusvely, and shall assign to them TO
that purpose an Office in the district building
and that the trustees shall be left free TO attend t
educational matters with tie aid and through tn,
instrumentality of the eight supervising priuci
pals who are appointed by this board aud re
The suggestions of tho commissioners in regar,
10 requisitions strike US favoraby except that tn
acquisitions for school supplies should originate
wethink, with the supervising principals an,
should be approved by The committee on supplies
This substitute provoked an acrimoniou
debate. Mr., Brooks as chairman of the com
mittee on ways and Means in a very abb
speech, showed that the substitute was reall,
not u substitute, but an essentially dtiercn
paper from the report of the committee
During the discussion Gen. Curtis said tina
the superintendents, rs executive officers
should be subject to tho control of the board
As it was they were perfectly independen
thereof. Their term of Office was like Mel
chizedek, the high priest of Salem, wthou
beginning Of days orend ofyears. Tho boar
of trustees like the poets humanity, cam
and went, but the superintendonts, like Ten
nyson's book, went on forever, He did no
know the end of their term, nor how lon
they We're appointed for.
Gen. Birney said they were appointed Il
the beginning for two years, but he did no
know of their reappointmout,
Mr. Brooks said that as q matter of fact MI
Wilson, superintendent of the first division
was appointed to hold office during good be
havior, subject of course TO the discretion q
tho commissioners. In criticising the substI
tute Mr.. Brooks went on 70 say that the boar
was not salaricd, it was true, but it was un
derstood that tho members were gentlemen
and he thought it should not be intimate
that they would seek by improper methods 9
making reasonable compensation for thei
labors out Of tho business necessarily trans
acted by the board,
Considerable feeling was engondered dnrin
the debate and vote being taken, Gcl
Birney's substitute was negatiyed, DIR, PUryi
and himself casting tho only aiiirmatiy
votes.
The committee on teachers then submitte
tho following report;
Accept the resignation of Miss NJ v o.
burn, acting teacher sixth Grade first division