The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-02-18
TnE CITY WANTS no NAME THEN.
Probable Change in Appointing
the MassIe school Commissioners.

A Probable Change in Appointing
the Massie school Commissioners.
10 is very probable that az the next meet
ing Of the city council an ordinance viii
I be introduced changing existing ordinances
so that the Commissioners Of the Aiassie
school who are members Of the board Of
public education viii be selected by the
mayor and aldermen directly instead of
being appointed by the mayor on recon-
mendation OF the board, as at present.
This was foreshadowed at the last meet
ing Of council. when action on the recon-
mendation Of the board Of education was
laid ON the table. The matter. # is under
stood, had already been considered by the
council in caucus. Had it been disposed
to acquiesce in the present method Of APP
pointment it would not have been neces-
sary TO bring the matter before the meet
ing at ALL as under the ordinance the
mayor would simply have confirmed the
appointment.
There is considerable interest I'm this
matter, especially as it g. regarded as the
forerunner Of a movement TO change the
entire m.thod Of selecting the members of
the board Of education. The general pub
Tie is not informed as 90 how il Is that the
council has any voice in the selection Of
the board.
The act of the legislature of
1866 incorporating board of edu-
cation for the city of Savannah
named nine gentlemen, who. together with
the three commissioner of the Aiassie
school should constitute The board which
should be self-perpetuatiug with the ex-
D to-
Sic school who Were to be appointed
annually by the mayor The board was
/ made selt-perpetuatng because at that
! time, 1866, there was danger of negro dom
| lnation, and 1t was desired 10 put the
/ board of education out or reach of such
control. The Massle school was the only
school property controlled by the city,
having been built with "a fund left TO the
city as trustee by MIR Alassie for the pur-
| poses of public education. This is why il
| was provided that the commissioners of
! the Massie school should be members Of
/ the board IL Is a fact that a majority of
/ the present members were originally Mas
| sic school commissioners having become
permanent members by election TO fin va
| cancies.
The board was Incorporated for
| the education OF white children
! only. and it was provided that
| all money received by il from the city
/ ibA 'ftA1fAAAotdA bAA tNaNS TtAthiA We dB-
| piled exclusively to the education OF white
| children In the fall of 1866 the act was
! amended and the name changed to the
| Board of public education of the city
! of Savannah and the county of Chatham"
! on May l6, 1866 an ordinance was passed
/ by council providing that the mayor
/ should In January OF each year appoint
| three commissioners of the Massie school,
/ one of whom should be the mayor. when
/ he is not already a regular member OF
! the board, and the other two to be Sc
lected from the board Of aldermen or
! citizens, as the mayor might elect, who
/ should unite with ana become a part of
the board of public education.
In 1881 an ordinance was passed
| amending the previous ordinance so
! that 1t read follows: THAT
at the first regular meeting of council in
| January of each year the mayor shall
appoint three commissioners of the Mas
sic school, one of whom shall be the
| mayor, when he is not Il regular member
| of the board of education for the city of
| savannah; another Of whom shall be one
| Of the board of county commissioners,
| provided said commissioners are not rep
| resented on said board of public education,
to be appointed on recommendation OF the
said board of public education, and the
third to be selected from the aldermen or
| citizens at large on the recommendation OF
! said board of public education
Mayor Myers said yesterday that it is
| very probable that at the next meeting
| of council this ordinance will be repealed
| and the power of selecting the three
commissioners Of the Massie school will be
placed in the hands Of the mayor, where
it was previous to the passage of the
| ordinance in 1881. He said he thought
| the original intention in allowing the
| city the appointment of three members
of the board of education was to give it
| representation and he was at a loss to
| know why the right should ever have
been transferred by the city to the board.
This intention is not aimed a the
| present commissioners of the NIassie
school," said Mayor Myers, both of
whom have made good members of the
board, understand, but we think it well
that the city should have a voice in the
work of the board. l am not a believer
in self perpetuating bodies, which is what
the board of education now is. We have
a good board, it is true. but the tendency
of such a body not liable to change and
not affected by outside influences, is to
lose touch with the public and continue
in one line or rut. Then where the va
cancies in d board are filled by the mem
bers of the same board the natural ten
dency is to select men of their own
ideas and way of thinking, which is not
altogether desirable in a body such as
the board of public education. / do not
think the change in the manner of Sc
lecting the Massie school commissioners
will have any serious effect upon the
board"