New-York tribune., 1884-01-28
LEGISLATION FOR THE PUBLIC SCHOOL,

LEGISLATION FOR THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
Happily there is no need for any investiga-
ton of the methods of the Board of Education.
But there are defects III the present educational
system of the city which require corrective leg
isation. For example, the Board of Education
should be given the power to consolidate SCHOOLS
when such action is deemed necessary, ana 10
dispose of buildings no longer required for
school purposes In some of the lower wards
of the city, owing to the shifting of population,
there are schools with skeletons OF three depart
ments without pupils enough for one. Inns Is
bad for the pupils aud bad for the taxpayers.
The remedy must be found i'll change OF the
statute. For the purpose of appointing subor-
dinate teachers, and for some other purposes,
each of the twenty-four wards of the city stands
bv itself, and is practically independent OF the
Board of Education. This feature OF the law
is open to criticism. Divided responsibility
does not work well in any branch OF the City
| Government. There are teachers now employed
in the public schools who are physically inca
pacitated for the performance OF their duties
and there are Others who are incompetent. The
public school system should in no wise be made
to perform elccmOSynaly functions. 10 correct
these ey lis the Board of Education should be
given the absolute right to remove teachers
while the power of appointment should rest
with the Trustees as at present, only veto
power should be vested in the Commissioners
There ought TO be a change i'll the statute i'll
order to correct the inequalities in the dlstrl-
button of the salary fund. President Walker
SAWS that the statutory distinction between the
rate of pay in the primary and grammar schools
is fallacy that has imposed upon the city need
less expense. He has pointed out other Like de-
fectS in the law. 1t is probable that the aggre-
gate amount of salaries cannot advantageOusly
be decreased But there is no doubt that diff
fercnt distribution of the amount could be
made, so as to add the number Of primary
school teachers necessary to enable the many
children who are now crowded out of the
schools TO be brought under the influence of in
tenigent instructors The Board of Education
should be given the power to equalize salaries,
with the restriction that no teacher should BE
paid more than specified sum in each grade.
With respect to the salaries of the clerical force
of the Board of Education there is no doubt of
the need of reduction.
The Act which declares that all children be-
tween the ages of five and twenty years
residing in this city, shall be entitled to attend
any of the common schools therein" cannot be
enforced in some parts of the city, because the
schools are not large enough or numerous
enough to hold all the children who wish to
enter them This fact, and the steady advance
in the school population, make the erection of
many new schoOlhOuses a public necessity.
The Board Of Estimate made large apprOpr-
alton for that purpose this year but nothing like
enough to meet the necessities of the case. In
the purchase Of new sites and the erection of
new buildings the Board Of Education ought TO
have money enough to secure to the children
plenty of light and air. Nearly all of the pres
ent schoOlhouses are placed between tall
buildings, and are without sufficient light and
air. Provision ought to be made In the erec-
ton of new buildings to guard against this evil.
To meet the urgent necessity for more school
room the'Board of Estimate should be author
lied to issue the necessary bonds. Ii is absurd
for the great city of New York to keep children
from it's public schools for want of money,
while it is issuing millions Of dollars worth of
bonds every year for new docks and other pub
lie improvements. Such things had far better |
be delayed than that many thousands of child |
ren should be permitted to grow up in ignor- |
ance
The Board of Education ought to prepare |
such amendments to the statute as it deems |
necessary and submit them to the Legislature |
as a basis for action. That would call forth the |
necessary discussion for the intelligent guild
ance of the members of the Senate and Assem-
bly,.
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