The evening world., 1893-11-29
JASPER MUST SAY So.
Only the City Superintendent Can
Now Appoint Teachers
NORMAL COLLEGE DIPLOMAS PRAC-
TlCALLY WORTHLESS.
THE SUBSTITUTE TEACHERS PROTEST.

BY a law passed 10y the Board OF Education
on July , last, To take effect on Nov. |, but
actively enforced for the first time yesterday,
John Jasper, City superintendent of Public
schools. is vested with tower never before
conferred upon n like official, and is placed
In a position where the knee OF every one dcs!r.
ing to become a permanent teacher must bow
before him. BY this law the power Of tho
various ward trustees to appoint permanent
teachers for the schools under their iurisdic-
tion is curtailed. Another effect of this law is
to render practically worthless n diploma from
the Normal College so far rs aiding its holder
to get n. school il concerned. h law also
delays the appointment Of a graduate as q
teacher for a period varying from five months
TO five years.
This is in effect the report presented 10y Com
missioner Knox, of tile Committee Oh By Laws,
passed by the Board OF Eduratiou:
A probationary license only shall be granted to
graduates Of the Normal College and to such other
applicants PE. as the city superintendent ""'' quail
A provisional license shall he granted to such
candidate holding probationary license AZ I'll"
city superintendent finds qualified, after due
service In the schools, to be placed on the eligible
list.
A permanent license shall he granted Ia rcglI-
larry appointed teachers whose class work. after
NJ least one years actual service under IA pro
visional license, has been examined by III" Guy
superintendent or his assistants and found salts
factory to him. The provisional license Of any
teacher who fails to receive n permanent license
within two years after the date of his or her r"gh-
lar appointment hs "A teacher shall, unless re
ncwed. be declared null and void.
In another section the report says that gradu-
atcs of the Normal College with diplomas.
which are construed as nothing more than Ger
titipntnS nf thrir scholastic ability and Whnnrp
fortunate enough TO he selected as substitute
teachers, shall teach 100 actual days rs "A sub
stitute and then shall so before Supt. Jasper,
who will examine them. II they pass this see.
Ond examination they are given a second
diploma and are placed on an eligible list, from
which list the various ward trustees must APP
point the permanent teachers for their schools.
Principals Of schools must submit monthly to
the City superintendent a full report rs to the
character OF the work done, and the ability and
other qualifications shown 10y the regular sub.
stHut teachers The probationary service and
the subsequent examination are not required
Of male applicants nor OF applicants having a
record of three years OF former meritoriouS ser
vice as teachers of the common schools.
supt. Jasper Yesterday prepared a communi-
cation which will be sent to- day to the prin-
cipals of schools throughout the city. This
communication asks for reports OF the work of
the substitute teachers rs required by the new
law.
There are 1875 substitute teachers in the
public schools. Last saturday Supt. jasper
met them in the chapel of the Normal College
and read and explained the new law to them.
+. He made il plain thai their diplomas from the
to get, and which he himself signed, do not
insure their holders occupation. He ako ex-
plain+d that 1t was necessary for them. tc
teach 100 days before they could come before
him for a second and more valuable bestowal
of his favor. The teachers understood that il
might be five years before they had taught
their n hundredth day; In some schools the
The teachers also understood that even after
their hundred days of service, even after th'
best recommendations from the principals Q
the schools in which they taught. event. tn,
trustees of any school desired TO appoint then
TO a vacancy. and even If the Board OF Educa,
ton was willing to recommend their appoint
ment, Supt. Jasper could nevertheless re
fuse them diplomas to teach. The result %
such a refusal would be that the person refused
could never be more than a substitute teacher
The teachers were not backward in tellini
Supt. Jasper inst what they thought OF lhcs,
regulations. Many Of chem frankly espresso
the opinion that he had increased his power a
the expense of the Normal College. some o
them said that they had worked three years n
substitutes and had not yet taught II hundic,
iull days. Others. particularly those gradu,
ated from the Normal College this year, askcC
Supt. Jasper as To the cX post facto effect of til,
law. They said that they had been graduated
in June, before the law was even considcrcc
in the form Of a report by the Board of Educi
ton. They pointed out that hitherto IL diplom,
from the Normal College had been taken as
certificate OF the holder fitness TO teach
They did not see why they should be discrim'
mated against. ....
To all this Supt. Jasper replied s~uavcl!
that the teachers did not understand the mat,
ter, or that II they did they were too hasty II
their expressions of opinion. He said that thu
law was a fixture and would not hc changed.
The meeting developed considerable feeling
and at its close II majority OF the substitutes o
thn plnSSps pf recent NpnrS and nnrtirulnrlv n
this year s class. got together and promulgated
a statement setting forth the injustice OF thu
new law from their standpoint and lamcntint
the loss of prestige for the Normal College,
Here are some extracts from the document:
Was not the Normal College built for the train
ing Of teachers" Has II failed TO iultl its mission
ere 3n,t not om 1nn p ,ha fp schP i1 sbe OF va 1ns si'y n "i M Wh'
has made them so but the patient, perseyerini
teachers graduates of the Normal College TIL
city should be informed of the fact that according
to the present system (which, by the, way, oni'
Went into effect on Nov. ~ the Normal College (
II farce. or rather an institution for those who car
Nil people wifi agree with MS that no daughters o
Years Of more before they viii be able to rari
their daily bread.
We resent this as an out rage not only To our
selves, but TO our alma mater.
The substitutes are not alone in their objec.
lions to the new law. Many OF the trustees SAY
that the plan deprives them OF u part of thief
rights and reflects upon their ability to selcc
teachers from Supt. ~jasper's Normal Colleg,
graduates with guaranteed scholastic ability
Somc of them say they will protest to the Boar
of Education against the enforcement OF tn,
law on the same ground that the officials OF
state would protest TO the officials Of the ma,
tiounl Government against the Capitalization o
rover aS Il blow 1T state rights,
Supt. Jasper. when asked about the new law
said that scholastic ability was "A far diticrcn
thing from pedagogic ability. He admitte,
that there is u delay OccaSioned by the new Law
in the appointment Of teachers. but it is
slowncSS that makes selection sure and right
"How about the extraordinary power con,
fcrrcd on YOU - he waS asked.
1.-The people know ! will not abuse ii, - sal,
Supt. Jasper. besides, my having the pOwc
will prevent the exercising of political pull