The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1893-01-03
|NIGHT SCHOOL PROSPECT.
Officials to Confer on the
Question of Opening
Them This Winter.
PLENTY OF MONEY, BUT
Financiers Want the Salary sar-
plus Used for Them-Mr.
Poland Considers This
Illegal.

A question that is agirating the minds
of the Finance Commissioners. members
of the Board OF Education and Superin-
tendent Snyder. is ''How shall the night
schools be organized and sustained tais
winter?"
The question has given rise to complies
tions that the officials have never before
dealt with, and the outlook is that the
night school system this year will have to
be abandoned. unless speedy settlement
of the difficulties is brought about.
The Board of Education in it's estimate
for the current year, asked the Board of
Finance for salary allowance of $685.
75S. SO, and S15 600 additional for fuel and
supplies. The State Board of Education
agreed that 1922, ,758 33 was a sufficient
sum for salaries aud fuel included, and
so reported to the Board of Finance. The
latter Board, however. in It's wisdom
appropriated s393,000. for salaries aloue,
aud Sl5, 000 additional for fuel. In addi-
ton to all this. the Board of Education
asked for ST. 800 for the establishments OF
night school system. This request.
however. was not granted by the Finance
Com missionerS.
Within the past month the question OF
night schools has been actively agitate1
| anu UQ6 responsibility GQ6iE DOu-5SUaU-
| liShment has been shifted from shoulder
10 shoulder by the officials concerned.
Finance Commissioner Edelstein maine
tains that the Board of Education has
sufficient amount of money, which he
terms Surplus" to establish just as
| many night schools as were operated last
| winter.
MIR. EDELsTEIN's EXPLANATION.
| Commissioner Edelsteln bases MS state.
menJ upon these fi0ures:-
| The Board of Education received an
appropriation of $293,000 for salaries
alone. The salary schedule at the pres
| ent time shows that only about STE, 600 is
required. This leaves balance on hand
of $2l Goo When the appropriation was
made, several deserving increases were
contemplated in the paw Of principals and
| also the salaries for the eight new teach
ers at No. annex and the full compile.
| ment of teachers for School No. 25. But
School No. 25 will not be ready for occu-
| pancy before next September, and the
proposed increase in the salaries of
| principals still leaves on hand a
sufficient sum for the Board OF
| Education to operate night schools.
| The proposed increase In the salaries OF
Principals is from 81 $50 to $2.316, or s468
each, There are twelve Principals to be-
affected by the increase, giving total
sum needed of S5672. This amount de,
| Quoted from the $4,000 over and mhaxs
| the present salary schedule, leave
1928, which President Edelstein mail
should be expended by the Educational
| Directors for night schools rather than
petition the Board of Finance for more
| funds.
| WHERE THE HITCH COMES IN,
| The hitch lies in the decision of the
| State Superintendent. A. B. Poland. who
says that money appropriated for sala-
riss cannot be used for any other pur-
pose, and further that money so appro-
priated applies only to day teachers.
| lnesmuch as the census upon which
! the appropriation is made includes
| only the number of school
| children from five to eighteen years Of
age, that is to say, the day scholars. Ever
| since night schools have been operated in
| this city, 1t has been the experience of the
| Directors that night school pupils range
| over eighteen years of age. and conse-
| quently are not rightly entitled to benefit
from money raised from the census.
| Looking at the matter in this light, the
members of the Board OF Education
refuse to use the surplus" funds.
| All the officials concerned regret the
| condition of affairs aud Will meet in 8
| few days, and endeavor to solve the
problem. Superintendent Snyder favors
| night schools, and he believes, il it be-
came necessary, that corps of day teach
| ers could be found who would willingly
devote time 60 the instruction OF niGh6
pupils.
The matter will be discussed at the
next meeting of the Board of Education