The San Francisco call., 1895-12-29
Attention Called to the Increase
in the Number Of
Teachers.
NORMAL SCHOOL NOT FAVORED.
Various Economies Are Advocated
to 0bviate the Danger of
Deficiencies.

"If the School Directors would display
the same business methods in administer
ing the affairs of the School Department
as they do in their private business there
would be no deficiencies of appropriations
and no necessity for scaling the salaries of
teachers"
Thus closes the report of the recently
disbanded Grand Jury on its investiga-
tions into the affairs of the School Depart
ment. 1t was known some time ago that
the jury was making a rigid investigation
into the business of the Board of Educa-
ton, and a number of Directors were
called before the body to tell why they had
taken certain courses and why the number
of teachers in the department had been
increased to so large an extent as was the
case. The report is very strong one,
particularly where it deals with the
finances of the board, and some pertinent
points are laid before the board for its con-
sideration.
Particularly strong is the point made
that during the fiscal year 1895 the num-
ber of teachers was increased by thirty
four, while the number of pupils. in at
tendance only increased thirty-fve, or
practically one teacher to each pupil. The
report was handed to the secretary of the
board yesterday and is as follows:
To the Members of the Board OF Education
GENTLEMEN: After a thorough examination OF
the books and accounts and general affairs of
Your department, we beg leave to submit the
following recomme mendation, and sincerely hope
that the suggestions therein will receive your
earnest considerations
Purchase OF Supplies-Tbe method of con-
Quoting this branch of the School Department
seems 10 US to be open to great criticism, in
this-that the whole responsibility for the
penditure of from $780, 900 to 900 per an
mum rests practically with one man, The chair
man of the Committee on Supplies. While 1t
is true that others are associated with him, it
is nevertheless a fact that all the contracting
and buying IS done by the chairman, and the
remainder OF the committee, as well the
other members of the board, have practically
no voice in the matter, for the reason that
when they become officially aware of the fact
the contracts OF purchases have been consum-
mated and there is nothing lett for them but
confirmation.
1t seems to US that the responsibility OF ex-
pending this money should rest upon the
board itself and not on any one member thereof,
except in cases of urgent necessity. This
would do away with much unfavorable crit
icism from the public at large; and the indi-
vidual members of the board certainly owe it
to themselves 10 devise a system by which all
suspicion OF collusion or possibility OF corrup-
ton will be obyiated.
Compartive Statement of Expenditures in
1894 and 1S95-From detailed figures SUBJ
mitted to us it appears that the expenses for
the maintenance of the schools in the year
1895, under the present administration, will
largely exceed those in 1894, under the past
administration. The following is compare
tive statement for 1894 and for the first ten
months OF the present year:
1894
Total expenditures. ,O03931 %
For new buildings. gs..................... 2S,S25 81
Leaving for running expenses....... 975,lO5 3s
Average per month. .ss1, ,25s 7s.
1895.
Total expenses for first ten months. 1871 sol 81
Retained from teachers Salarles..... Is, 1875 Sc
Total .......................... 1888, ,6s7 81
DEDUCTIONS.
New buildings. s..............SS S,9S2 Al
Back salaries, under de-
cree of court .S3, ,493 60 s12 476 O4
Leaving for running expenses. ss77,221 2s
Average per month. SS7,722 IL
Increase per month in running ex-
penses under present administra-
tiOn..:...--..-.... ................. .e,4sS q
Per Observation-Disclosures. 1850 0S
Buildings and Grounds-Your committee
on buildings and grounds made an exhaustive
report on the condition of the various school
houses, estimating the requirements at over
1865, 900. This sum seems to US eXorbitant
when we consider that the total expenditures
during the past ten years for the erection of
new buildings amounted to but $3.50 900.
quired in this report for repairs would cover
the entire expense of replacing with new build
ings most OF the schools mentioned therein,
and that it would be actual economy for the
City to pull down such buildings as the Red
ding, the Longfellow, the Marshall, aid per-
haps others, thereby saving further useless
expense.
Unassigned teachers-There are at the pres.
ent time nine unassigned teachers in the de-
partment drawing monthly salaries aggre-
eating nearly $500. Some of them, we are in
formed, are utterly unit, both mentally and
physically, to perform the duties of teacher;
and they do not, in fact, do any practical
teaching, but are sent out to take the places
OF regular teachers who are. temporarily
absent. II seems strange to us that, when the
last board found them incompetent, the pres
ent board should have reinstated them and
continued them in what may be called a state
of pension up TO this day without making any
effort to substantiate the charges under which
they were originally dismissed. We fully
understand that the reinstatement was caused
by judicial decision: but this should GER
tainly not prevent your board from taking
proper action to substantiaIe the original
charges in a legal manner and thereby save
the City further expense. AS an additional
proof that these unassigned teachers are not
wanted in the department, it appears that
since January /, 1895, nineteen teachers
have been elected from the substitute class.
Substitute class-1t appears that the men,
bers of this class are assigned to take the
places of those regular teachers who are tenn
porarily absent from duty. This class was
board reduced it to thirty.
They were paid under the previous board
$25 month, but this has been increased by
the present board 10 $40 a month. The aggre-
gate expense per annum of this class is over
$4,000.
1t seems to US that this is waste of money
The membership OF this class is composed al
most entirely of young ladies without any ex-
perience whatever in teaching, and their SER
vices while in the class OF more value to
them than to the department. They can be
of but little practical benefit as teachers until
seem to be actually employed In teaching over
year-and yet they are paid as much as ex-
perienced teachers in the East receive for con-
tinuous service. They snould not be paid
such a salary or any salary at all. The experi-
enee gained while in the substitute class is
sufficient compensation, especially in view of
the fact that their election as teachers in the
department is assured.
San Francisco Normal School-The City
pense. 1t is costing the department from
$4,000 to $1,000 year, but its cost is its least
objection. The State maintains three normal
schools, in which four years course of in
struction is given, especially directed toward
developing good teachers, while the City is
maintaining so-called normal school in
which a large proportion of the pupils are
from the interior OF the State, and come to San
Francisco to take the years course because It'll
much easier than that required elsewhere, and
because the graduates OF the school haye the
preference in securing appointments to the
T. -. IL