The San Francisco call., 1895-12-02
Two of the Big Educa-
tiOnal Institutions in
Danger.
THEY COST TOO MUCH.
The Normal and Polytechnic
Schools Causing Criti-
cism.
A LETTER FROM A PRINCIPAL
The Board of Education Trying to
Get Expenses Within the
Appropriation.
A LETTER FROM A PRINCIPAL

Whether or not the Normal School is to
| be abolished and the class of substitute
| teachers now under salary be dismissed
will be the most prominent measure be-
fore the Board of Education at its next
meeting. Directors Henderson and Clin-
ton have both come to the front with reso-
lutions intended to reduce the expenses of
the department without impairing It's eff
| ficiency, and their confreres in the board
are just now digesting the documents.
The excitement in this particular affair
is the direct outcome OF the reduction OF
about 100000 in the school appropriation
I caused by ex-Director Hyde's charges that
over 5000, COO was unnecessarily expended
yearly by the present board for the two in
stitutions under discussion.
! As a rule the individual members of the
Board of Education do not feel that it is
right to abolish the Normal School. They
realize that something must be done,
however, to retrench expenses and, with
them, the problem is Where shall the
cutting be doneP'
| In speaking of the matter yesterday
| Director Emmett p. Barrett regretted the
whole matter had been brought up in
| such way as to bring about acrimonious
| debate.
| "if Principal James &. Kennedy had lived
| He was an educator who would have placed
| the Normal School on such strong footing
| that there never would have been question
as to its certificates being accepted throughout
the counties OF this State"
| During President Hyde's administration
a Mr. Yoder, from the East, was in charge
of the school, but his appointment was
subsequently declared illegal. James G.
! Kennedy succeeded him, but since Ken
nedy's death, few weeks later, the posi-
ton has never been officially filed In the
resolutions asking for the closing of the
Normal School one of the intimations
made is that the certificates of the school
were not given recognition in the other
counties of this State. According to Mr..
Barrett, however, this is on the mend,
and more than half the counties in
this State accept the graduates of the Nor
nal School as competent teachers.
One of the moves which have already
been made to retrench expenses was
started at the last meeting of the board,
when a resolution was introduced causing
the appointment of a committee to inves-
tigate the Polytechnic School. Ex-Director
Hyde established that school at the corner
OF Bush and Stockton streets. In it was
placed some $4,000 worth of machinery,
and not wheel of it has ever been turned.
The salaries of the teachers are high and
the cost OF running the school is said to
be enormous, and there is no adequate re-
turn. The special committee must soon
report back their findings, and there is
likelihood that instead of the Normal it
will be the Polytechnic School that will go.
Following is the resolution Director
Henderson will offer at the next meeting:
Resolued, That the Normal School be reor-
ganized follows:
First-The school shall be known as the San
Francisco Normal Training School
SeCOnd-The number OF students shall be
limited to eighty-forty to be admitted in
January and forty TO be admitted in July OF
each wear.
school must be residents of the City and
County of San Francisco and shall be gradu-
ates OF the Lowell, Polytechnic or Girls High
Schools, or If not graduates of these schools
they shall show equivalent scholarship by ex-
animation.
Fourth-Provision shall be made for instruc-
ton in the elements of the science of teaching,
and opportunity shall be given for acquiring
the art by observation under model teachers
and practice teaching under critic teachers.
The pupil teachers shall also be given OPP
portunity of meeting the difficulties of ordinary
teaching by substituting in the department,
not to exceed one-quarter OF year, the
substituting 10 be done without cost to the
department.
Fifth-The course shall extend over one and
a half years.
A substitute resolution reading as fol-
lows has also been prepared:
First-That the Normal School be and is
hereby discontinued on and after December
81 1895
Second-That the City Board of Examina-
ton be and is hereby instructed to examine
the students of the Normal School in the re-
quirements for primary and grammar grade
certificates, and torecommend the issuance OF
either grade to those whom they find entitled
to receive them
Third-That the examination be held at the
Normal School, commencing Monday, January
l3, 1896
Director Henderson's idea is that SIG, 900
could be saved each wear by doing away
with unnecessary teachers, thirty of
whom, he claims, are in the substitute
class, drawing $40 each per month.
In summing up the situation, Mr.. Hen
derson arrives at the full $25, 900 saving by
showing that there are nine teachers in
what is known as the consolidated class.
They are teachers who, by the consolida-
ton of schools have been left without en-
ployment or who have been let out for
some other cause, and the conrts have put
them back on the lists. They are gener-
ally no good to the department and are
not employed, but receive salary that
averages $66 per month-a total OF S576 per
month. Then there are ten substitutes of
the evening classes, amounting to $406 90
pCI luOubu-d tOtdl lch eiSoO bCaSiClo VI
$2165 40, or $25, 1884 so for the year. Ten
teachers could do the work that these
forty-nine teachers are paid for doing.
This expense. he says. could be done
away with easily could the pupils of the
Normal School be made to act as substi-
tute teachers without pay.
Principal Richard d. Faulkner of the
Franklin Grammar School declares him
self in this matter by letter he has for
warded to Mr.. Henderson, frankly ac-
knowledging he is not looking for prefer
ment, but that his motive is simply for
the good of the department. In it he
states as follows:
FRANKLIN GRAMMAR SCHOOL,
Nov. 26 1895.
H. c. Henderson, Esq, Member Board of Ed1
cdtion--MY DEAR SIR: | am not an applicant
for the principalship of the Normal School,
but in reply to your inquiries ] submit the fol-
lowing:
Has the State made sufficient provision for
the certification and professional training of
teachers to meet the needs OF the schools of
the State? This is the first question to be
answered in considering the necessity OF the
Normal School OF this City.
The State has, besides the recognition of life
diplomas of other States, educational diplo-
mas of Nevada, Oregon and Washington, State
Normal school diplomas OF other States and
diplomas of graduation from any institution
in the United States of equal rank with the
University of California made provision for