Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1886-03-06

AA0AAAAN ~ Il OANS LIE Cs9
THE CoMMIssIONERs' PLAN.
How They Propose to Manage the Pub
lie schools.
| THEIR LoEe-PRoMIsED LETTER TO THE rRUs-
| TEES-APPoINTMENTS OF TEACHERS TO BE
MADE BIZ THE CoMMIssIoNERs-A SPECIAL
| OFFICER PROPOSED TO LOOK AFTER SCHOOL
PRoPERTY-THE TRUSTEES TO GIVE COUNSEL.
| The commissioners have prepared the fol-
| lowing letter, which they will transmit to the
trustees Of public schools in a few days:
| OFFICE OF THE COMMISSIONERS.
| DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA,
| WASHINGTON, 1855.
| To the Trustees Of Public Schools, d. c.:
| Gentlemen-The act OF June 18th, 1873,
| simply authorizes the appointment by the
| commissioners of aspecified number OF persons,
schools, and who shall have the pow
ers and perform the duties IN relation
pubi tae seboos and aw
No school districts or divisions are created by
this act and the trustees appointed under 1t are
localities, but have in charge the entire school
| system OF the District OF Columbia without re-
the &C
trustees OF schools were empowered to divloe
the District of Columbia into divisions for the
| III,
division is the result Of that order.
The law existing at that time, as found In
the ordinances Of the different municipalities
existing in the District Of Columbia and In the
| Revised Statutes of the United States In force
| In said District, makes a very different division
and one not nearly so convenient. Whether
the act of the Commissioners was authorized,
in the face OF the existing law or not, it is not
material now to inquire. The present division
will not be disturbed at this time. The Com
missioners, in their letter OF December 3lst.
give to the
conduct OF the SCHOOLS, and with the aid and
counsel of the trustees to plan and put into OPP
guidance and government of those engaged in
the care and management of those schools az
would prevent q recurrence OF the troubles OF
past years. This will be done rather in the
form of suggestions than Of formal regulations
at this time, leaving to future consultations to
tees the completion OF the contemplated system.
First. With respect to the appointment OF
teachers: In order that all teachers hereafter to
be appointed may be selected for their fitness
alone, the following plan will be pursued: There
shall be kept in the office OF the secretary to
the Commissioners, and in the offices OF the
| superintendent of the public schools, lists of
graduates OF the Washington and Miner Nor
NAL schools of the District. Lists of graduates
WING shs have "a s sS passed
requisite examination, and who have had
experience as sub-assistants in substituting
appointed to examine applicants of their fitness
to teach. Lists of persons who shall have grad
uated from any normal schools OF other states,
whose names shall be given to the committee
whose business it is to examine applicants, as
hereafter provided. IT at any time any teacher
shall be found upon these lists, it shall be the
duty Of the aforesaid committee to pro
o9ber teacher :; by so
All of these lists shall be, at all times, open to
to the public. All persons desiring to be APP
pointed teachers of the public schools, whether
hoi ms mo
file with the Commissioners OF the District of
Columbia an application, in writing, the form
must accompany such application with proper
evidences of the fitness of the applicant for the
place sought, and among such evidences must
be included all certificates as to the graduation
of the applicant, either at the Normal or High
school of the District, or at one or the other of
the normal schools Of the several states
may be able to produce that he or she has been
engaged at some previous time in teaching and
cation is completed and filed that fact will be
noted upon the register kept in the office of the
secretary to the Commissioners, who will trans
superintendent of the public schools, who will
enter the same upon the registers kept at their
Offices as before referred to- The appii
examination before examiners to be
appointed in the manner indicated in the pres
conducted as therein prescribed. A report of
the result of this examination, showing particu-
larly the standard attained by the applicant,
and the decision of the examiners as to his or
her fitness to fill the place of teacher, shall be
forwarded to the secretary of the Com
missioners, and shall be entered upon
registers kept by the superintendents of
schools. When it becomes necessary to appoint
a teacher, selections shall be made from the
register kept by the superintendent, respec-
lively, dependent upon the class of schools,
that is to say, whether white or cOlored, for
which the teacher is needed, by committee
consisting of the superintendent of school,
(respect being had to the class of schoOls)
supervising principal of the schools Tor
which the teacher is required and one Of the
trustees of the schools to be designated by the
trustees for that purpose. In making such Sc
listing law giving preference to the graduates of
domestic institutions. The superintendent of
the school in which the teacher is to act will re-
port the decision of the examining committee
to the Commissioners of the District with
their recommendation ana the Commissioners
will make the appointment accordingly. It
shall be the duty OF each supervising principal
to keep the superintendent informed of all
vacancies that may occur among the teachers
In the schools in his charge, and it shall be the
further duty OF such supervising principals
from time to time to make reports to
the superintendents as to the character,
% thew s ssa
spectively, and the superintendent shall in
vestigate, whenever from such reports they
such teachers and make report OF the conclu-
sions reached to the trustees of schools, and
also to the Commissioners of the District. for
such action as shall seem best.
Second. Care of property. The Commission.
ers will ask for such legislation and for an APP
them to appoint and pay an officer, to be desig-
mated the inspector of schools and janitors,
whose duty it shall be to take charge OF all the
minor details relating to the property of the
schools; to attend to the delivery of supplies to
the several schools as required, and to give
proper receipts for such supplies in duplicate or
s srg as may hy be thought best; to
are kept properly heated and ventilated; that
the closets are flushed at proper intervals: that
the janitOrs attend to their duties generally, |
and that everything necessary for the comfort
and convenience of the schools is at all times |
properly done. Until they can get authority
to make the appointment of such an officer it
Is the intention of the Commissioners to detail |
temporarily some one to perform the duties as |
signed to him in the manner they may deem |
best.
Third Financial matters. All matters re-
lating to the expenditure of money on account |
of the schools will be considered to be entirely |
within the province of the Commissioners |
The determination of salaries of teachers SO far |
as to keep them within the appropriations |
made from time to time by Congress for that |
purpose, the classification of teachers and their
salaries the amount to be expended for the pur- |
chase of sites, the erection OF buildings, the con-
tracts for supplies of all kinds, and all such |
matters will be attended to by the Commits |
sioners.
In all the above matters the Commissioners
are satisfied that the act of Congress intended |
to distribute the duties relating to the public |
schools in the manner they have indicated but |
they believe that the law also intended that the
trustees should have certain other and not |
less important duties to perform with re-