Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1885-07-01
THE GUARDIANs OF THE scHooIs.
The school Year Closed with q Lively
Meeting Of the Trustees.


TRUSTEE BIRSEY's "DRoPPED' TEACHERS RE-
sToRED-THE TEACHERS TENURE OF OFFICE
MADE INDEFINITE-A HEATED coLLOQUY BE-
TWEEN MEssRs. &C RTIS AND LovEJoY-vARI-
oUS INTERESTING MATTERS CONSIDERED.
The school board held protracted session
last night. to close the business of the school
year, and, as was expected, there was q long
discussion, which grew somewhat warm, at
times, over the report of the committee on
teachers, as to the appointment of teachers for
the ensuing year. Mr.. Baum, the president.
read communication from the District Com
missioners announcing that Mr.. VIM. B. Powell
had qualified for the Office of superintendent of
the first six divisions of schools. Mr.. Baum
then introduced Mr.. Powell to the board. Mr..
Powell made brief address, expressing his
pleasure at meeting with the board, and stating
that it would be his most earnest purpose at all
times to cooperate with the board in every
Powell said he had left behind him some work,
and desired to take a leave of absence until the
middle of August to complete it.
THE ALLEGED RECORD BOOK MONOPOLY.
The secretary, Mr.. Gurley, read the letter
from the Commissioners, printed In yesterday s
STAR, referring to the contract for the tea cheers
record books, and the charge that they could
be obtained at half OF the present cost, IL not OBJ
tanned from one e, dealer Who had copyrighted
cussion n resolution directing the committee on
rules to report a form for teachers record books
was adopted.
| One of the communications received from
citizens proposed that as the Cook school build
| in. on street, between 4th and 9Th, was SO
OvercroWded that an overflow building, insult
| able to the purpose had to be rented on the OPP
posite side of the street, the schools in the Cook
building. and those in the Twinfng building to
| the Cook building, and the names of the build
ing, Ing be Likewise eSchanSed BY this change
rent of the overflow buildings.
| THE PETITIONS FOR MIR. BIRNEY'S TRANSFER.
The secretary read a petition to the board
beginning:
1.-THE undersigned respectfully petition that
| some trustee other than Gen. VIM. Birney be
assigned to the second school division asslocal
committee
| He began to read the names, when Mr.. Baum
checked nlm stating that be thought 1t was
| ten such papers.
DIR. Purvis moved that the petition be laid
over.
Mr.. Birney said that through the kindness OF
| The president he had been permitted to count
the names on these papers, and found there
were about 500 There were names of persons
of all kinds, and among them a few respectable
| persons. He had been aware, he said, that these
petitions had been circulated in his division for
| about two months. On the 1st of May last he
had ,297 pupils in the schools of his division.
Many of those who signed the petition were
not parents. One of them frankly stated so.
| IheSe names had been accumulated by two
| months hard work.
1T is" said Mr.. Birney, "a ridiculous mouse
to be born OF SO much labor"
| DR.. Purvis here interrupted Mr.. Birney to
press his motion to lay the petition over. He
did this, he said, for two reasons. One was that
| this was the end of the year and the board was
| about to be reorganized. 1.-THE other is" said
DIR. Purvis, 1--WE are able to attend to our own
| business without the light of ex-trustees and u
| few other folk His motion to lay the petit
| ton over was carried.
| The resignation of Mrs. Rosetta f. Lawson as
| clerk to the superintendent of colored schools
! was accepted with an expression of the regret
| of the board, and upon recommendation of
! superintendent Cook John w. +. Smith was
| appointed to ill the vacancy.
| The designations of Misses Emma Waters,
Lizzie L. Gray and NJ. T. Bear, teachers, were
| Joseph Smith was nominated and confirmed
| as Janitor OF the w Ormley building, and Henry
+. Amman as janitor of the Blair building.
from Mrs. Fanny E. Hail. Mrs H. ". Price, Miss
| Clara Pease, Frank H. Freeman, Florence A.
| Rose and Ella /. Case.
| THE NOMINATION. OF TEACHERS
When the report of the committee on teach
ers upon the nominations of teachers for the
| ensuing year was presented there was no dis
cussion until the secretary read the list of names
! for the second division as reported by the COM
mittee, differing from that made out by the
trustee, Mr. Birney, in that the names OF GER
| tain teachers dropped by Mr.. Birney were re-
stored. AT the end of the list the secretary by
mistake read the words in the usual form,
| "Signed VIM. Brney.''
"Inever signed that" said Mr.. Birney
| Mr.. Lovejoy, chairman of the committee,
stated in reference to the second division, that
| the committee had considered the lists of
teachers of last year and petitions submitted by
| teachers. The committee examined into the
rolls and records of teachers and decided to pre-
| sent to the board the names of teachers that
had been left off, and to recommend to the
| board that the action of the trustee of the
| second division should not be approved.
| Mr.. Curtis suggested that there should be q
| written report, stating upon what evidence the
| committee based its action.
1t was decided that the report should not be
discussed until all the nominations had been
Clarks division, the third, were read Mr.. Curtis
said:
Il would like to know if Mr.. Clark has left
off any names that were on the pay roll last
year"
Mr.. Clark replied that he had not. Mr.. Curtis
asked n similar question of each of the other
trustees as their lists were read. and obtained
similar responses, changes having been made
only In cases of resignation. DC. When Mr.
Curtis own list was read. he spoke of one two
changes made on account of natural causes"
and added. Il did not drop any others. l was
told it was distasteful to the board, and
thought discretion was the better part Of yalor"
The committee on teachers recommended
that the Kendall scholarship be awarded to
apd that leave Of absence for one year without
pay, be granted to Miss Florence Bartlett of the
first division.
THE TEACHERS TENURE OF oFF1CE.
Before considering the report of the committee
| on teachers, Mr.. Smith offered series OF pream-
bles and resolutions, setting forth that as "the
goal for which we are all confesSedly striving is
the most economical and efficient system OF
public instruction, and as 1.-The history of edu-
cation proves that the best results in instruc-
ton are produced only when teaching Is pur.
sued as a profession and that permanency Of
tenure is essential as a means of rendering it q
desirable career, and as uncertainty OF tenure
absolute dependence of teachers, both in re-
spect to livelihood and reputa alton upon the will
of local committees, Is a most serious defect in
any school system, from and after June 3Oth
A. ID. 1885, all elections and appointments OF
and jantors of the public schools of the District
of Columbia shall be, and continue until other
wise ordered by this board" further that any
rule or bylaw inconsistent with this provision
be, and the same Is hereby repealed" and,
further, that the list of nominations OF en-
Columbia, to wit: Supervising principals,
teachers and sub-assistants, &c, reported by
the committee on teachers to this board. this
date, be, and the same is hereby approved, con-
hrmed and reappointed employees OF the public
schools of the District of Columbia"
Mr.. Curtis appealed to Mr.. Smith not to cou-
pie this matter with the report Of the commit
tee on teachers SO as to involve the fate of
several hundred teachers with that of q Ques-
ton of parliamentary practice. He said that he
intended to vote for the report of the commit
tee ON teachers as presented but would ask the
the committee was satisfied that these teachers
they had restored to the list were cCmpetent
and on what ground the committee based its
action.
Mr.. Smith said that in no other country in
the world did they have this system OF annual
pearing. In cities where the tenure OF teachers
and Others was permanent the system was
found to work wen. He argued that the most
efficient service could not be obtained from a