St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1894-08-07
THE JOINT COMuHCTE E,s RE
PORT

The joint committee of the council
has exercised the power given 1t by the
charter, and has reduced the school
budget nearly $4,000. As the charter
restricts the joint committee to aggre-
gate action, it does not and it cannot
decide where the reductions shall tall,
that being for the school board 10 dis
tribute; but the committee ventures
some suggestions foi the consideration
or the board OF education which it is at
liberty to adopt or not.
Ihe reductions are the inevitable
sequence of these periods Of reaction
following the days of expansion and
booming. They fall first OIL the private
and last on the public employees; but
sooner or later it reaches them, and dis
agreeable as diminished income always
is, IL must be accepted with the same
philosophy with which the other ills of
life are met and borne. 1t is possible.
OF course, that the school board will not
reduce salaries, but will reduce the num-
Der of teachers. The report shows that
this is not only feasible, but that it
should be done in the interests of the
puoilc, whether salaries are reduced or
not. The seating capacity of the schools
is arranged to give forty pupils to each
teacher. The attendance for the year
averaged 1900 daily. Giving forty
pupils to a teacher would require the
service of $50 teachers, while AL are
borne on the roll. After making all
allowance for principals and supernu-
mefarleS it is certain that large num-
Der OF the III teachers in excess of the
number required, ii each had forty
pupils, can be dispensed with.
The reasons assigned by the Joint
committee for making the reduction will
be accepted by the public as sufficient,
however the school board and the
teachers may take it, and the sugges-
tons made deserve the attention of the
board of education. These latter gen
tiemen are influenced, rs all such spec
cial bodies are, by their work. which is
solely that of administration of the
school system: and, centering their at.
tention Oh that, they are almost sure to
disregard that other side OF the matter,
the tax-paying public, whom the gentle.
men OF the joint committee represent.
1t is good thing to have these checks
and balances, as it prevents tendency
to increasing expenditure. which is in
evitable where special boards are per-
milted to carry cut the plans they deem
essential.
The joint committee congratulate
the school board on the eXcision of some
expensive ornaments Of the system, and
hint that others may be spared. They
but express all opinion generally held.
Some fads have been Topped off, but too
many remain. These diffuse the energy
of both teacher and pupil. instead of its
being concentrated on the essentials of
common school education. Learning
Is work. not play. and it was long since
learned that there is no royal road to
learning. Diffusion defeats thorough
ness; it gives the child a slnattering of
many things, instead OF mastery OF the
few necessary things. To this is added
the waste of energy and of the receptive
capacity Of children inevitable in our
graded system, on which the GLOBE
has commented before, and to which it
is glad TO note that the attention of edu-
Gators is being attracted.
We have as good schools as the sys-
tenn can give. We have corps of
earnest, capable, Woodworking teach
ers. Back of all is public willing
TO pay the costs of the schools. The re-
| snlts are not what they should be. Par
ents know this; candid teachers admit
il. The fault IS one of system and
methods. The remedy should be sought
and applied.