Los Angeles herald., 1891-08-06
LETTER BAG

Another View o9 the School Board
EDToRss HERkLD: The attack upon
the teachers, 6ghfmittee of the school
board suggest several serious matters,
and with youf pvrmission l should like
to indicate than.
In the first p1a3e the Woman's club,
or any other organization, or any citi-
zen, has right to inquire into and
question acts of the school board OF
other officials, and if they do so properly,
when they have good reason to think
that things are not as they should be,
they do a public duty for which they
are entitled TO the gratitude of all good
people. But in investigating any Off
cial act, we should remember that the
presumption is always that the act is
rightly done. With many officials such
q presumption is rather violent,
1 admit; but in considering the vast
number of official acts constantly being
done, and the fact that after all SO few
are properly open to exception, everv
one will admit that the presumption is
in favor of the official.
The burden of the charge against the
teachers committee is that number of
old teachers were dropped, presumably
to make room for favorites of the COM
mittee. There were, / believe, some
thirty out OF over two hundred who
were not reappointed. The committee
say that all who failed of reappointment
were omitted for cause that the reasons
in each instance were given the teacher;
and that If the teachers friends wish
them, they can have them with the
teachers consent, either from her or
from the superintendent. The dropping
of thirty out of two hundred may be
large proportion, or it may not / have
no means of judging. But it is said
that there are on file something over
three hundred applications of those not
in the schools who desire positions. To
an unbiased mind, it would seem that
it is not only likely but almost certain
that out of the three hundred new ap-
plicants there might be found
thirty, or even more, who would
be superior to the thirty or
more poorest already in the schools.
And if this were the case, it surely is
the duty of the committee to select
them. For the committee could not be
defended if it should fail to secure the
best teachers at it's disposal, even if it
involved much larger change than one
in seven.
I have seen no charge that any favor
ties were named in the new appoint
ments. If there were such, why not
point them out? If inefficient teachers
have supplanted good ones, the COM
mittee will deserve reproach. But is
this the case? The committees posi-
ton is that they have selected from the
entire list of applicants at their dis
posal those best qualified; and that by
this test. giving full credit to the expert
GncA az the old teachers, they have re-
appointed all but the thirty, and that,
with regard to each of those, there was
reason for their being omitted.
The charge that any teacher was
dronped. or that any have been ap-
nointed through favoritism, has no
weight with those who know the COM
mittee. No one of the committee has
any political ambition no one has any
favor to ask of any political boss. Each
one IL serving in this position simply be-
cause OF his feeling that citizens should
do their political duties as they do any
any other duty which their lives place
upon them. / speak from knowledge
Of the men, and / feel confident that
eyerv one who knows them, knows that
none of them have any selfish ends in
the performance of their duties.
Another consideration presents itself.
This committee from the Woman's club
went to ask Justice, in case in which
thev felt that injustice had been done.
It was right thing to do, commenda,
bic act. But asking justice, why should
they permit the reporter whom they
took With them to present an incom
plete and partisan account OF what oc,
Cured, as am informed by several
who were there, they did? Is there nc
duty on their part, that, coming in the
guise OF citizens endeavoring to remedy
wrong, they should themselves dt
justice?
Finally, even if the committee have
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