New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-04-23
THE BIIL roR ScnooL GEFoEu

The members Of the Board Of Education are
now unanimouS in their approval Of the bill foi
changes and reforms in the public schools OF
| this city \ special committee visited Albany
recently to urge the passage Of this measure
The action az the Board II Educaion though
tar,lv. is in the right direction. II it had been
taken earlier This bill would probably he a law
now. II * a measure which commission ap
pointed last year by special act 10 revise the
school laws of Tho city formulated after Il care
ful investigation. and II cmbodicS substantially
the same plan which was proposed several years
ago by Frederick w Dcvoc. whom he WAS n
School Commissioner The Tribune ~ thar
time recommended this plan ~ judiciouS and
necessary reform.
The opposition 10 the bill appears to com"
mainly from The school trustees ~ several wards,
IS those trustees take tie view that their powers
will b. seriously cur'ailcd by III" proposed law.
This Is true II the large wards Of The city.
where the trustees under The present law have
jurisdiction greater than the Board ~ Educa-
iion itself Ru' IA" bin ~ modified 10y The
Board - Educafion docs not deprive the tr'ls-
tees ~ The appointment ~ teachers. rs "rici-
nally intended II permits the trustees 10 re-
tain al the functions that thcy now possess
But the city under The amended bill is divided
into school districts. each ~ which j. 10 contain
not more than three schools. FOR which there
Will hc three trustees. II IS thought that This
will make the total number ~ trustees nhpni
80 against 12u under the present law. dis
irilnIion Of this sort will enable the Boarl u
Education to continue the present trustees. and
the school inspectors whose office j. abolished
by The Till ~, unnecessary may Ice rrapp"intcd
q. trustee, when this is desirable.
The commcndablc features presented hy the
new measure are that II reduces Ihr endless
routine which now pcrvadcN The methods ~
public school management and II cuts down HE
appointment Il teachers by the different truS-
tees 10 "A minimum. This change Will make the
positinnS Of trustees less sought for by petty
politicians who are eager for patronage. I'll"
Board Of Education will retain the appointment
~ principals upon the recommendation Of trus
tees in The interests Of the city AZ large. The
Board Of Educaton has been much disturbed
over the recent passage Of an obnoxious bill.
which practically put in the hands ~ the local
trustees the appointment 81 principals. Such
scheme is undoubtedly injurious ana mischi"v-
ouS and should never have become 4 law.
Nevertheless. il WAS no worse than was To- be-
expected under the existing condition of the
school laws Of This city. These laws represent
patchwork that is the accumulation Of
century Of school legislation And This lcgisla-
ton has made the Pubic School Department
a kind of circumlocution office in which there
is not sufficient system Of an effective sort and
In which The responsibility Is not established
with sufficient clcarncss II is not 10 be- won
dcrrd 1T that the keen scent Of the Tammany
politicians should discover things that would
bc 10 their advantage In such patchwork lcgis
lation. II is only surprising that the schools
have not become completely dcmoraliZc1 by
such conditions. Trustees who have the inter
est OF the public schools N heart and are not
striving for mere petty advantages should unite
their influence with that Of the Board of Edu
cation in favor Of the proposed law and the
people of Newly York will have reason TO con
graduate themselves II the plan proposed by the
commission which has been Investigating our
school system shall take III place among our
statutes.