The San Francisco call., 1897-09-24
S'IUFFINC
EVENING
SCHOOLS
a Horde of New Teachers
and Some Are Without
Pupils.
BUT THEN IT'S ALL PATRONAGE.
Charged That Reports of At
tendance Are Stuffed to
Make a Showing,
MANY JOBS ARE TO Be SiTED.
Glasses of Three to Eight Pupils,
and Webster Is Going
a-Gunning.
MANY JOBS ARE TO Be SAVED.
Glasses of Three to Eight Pupils,
and Webster Is Going
a-Gunning,

StufHng the new and the old evening
schools with unnecessary teachers that
more patronage jobs may be passed
around among political and personal
friends is one OF the many sins being
charged against the solid nine of the
Board of Education by those who are be-
ginning lively war against the majority.
Stories about the evening schools are
coming from various directions, and
Superintendent Webster will soon have
something to report in this line, as he has
just begun an investigation of them with
the assistance OF Deputy Superintendent
c. D. Stone.
Mr.. Stone has as yet been able 10 give
but one night to visiting evening schools
and that was last Monday evening. He
went up to the Hearst Evening School and
this was what he found:
In the three classes there was a total at
tendance OF 81. One teacher had pupils
and two had u each. The registers
showed that during me five evenings OF
the preceding week the attendance in one
class had been respectively 9. 7, 10, . and
s. One of the other classes had not ex-
ceeded l. during the week. The attend
ance in the other one had reached 20 on
one evening.
These three teachers, competent and
worthy no doubt, are drawing each $50
month. Deputy Stone says that these
three classes are practically ungraded and
that one teacher ought to be able to nam
die all of them if consolidated. The
Hearst is one of the six new evening
schools established by the present board
and was opened at the beginning of the
term with two teachers. The first month
an enrol ment OF 123 was reported and
third teacher was quickly put IN. The
attendance dropped right away, but since
it has become next to nothing 1t runs
along Just the same.
There are stories that in some cases
evening school rolls are stuffed and re-
ports OF attendance are cooked to make a
fair showing. Deputy Superintendent
Stone does not say that he has fO1nd any
'stuffing" but he did find something
peculiar in one school. The last report
from that school showed an average at
tendance OF 81 and an enrolment OF 123.
He found on his visit two weeks later that
the actual enrolment was II and tbs
average attendance 81. On inspecting one
of the registers he found that a peculiar
system of marking was In use. Instead
OF a marx of any sort being placed after
names to indicate attendance an "a"
would be placed in the column 10 indicate
absent" the blank spaces inferentially
indicating present" Closer inspection
showed a small 'L'' after many names,
and INQUIRY elected the fact that it stood
for ''left." To figure up the attendance
even according to that register one would
have 10 check up the ''L's.
II question the figures in some of the
reports, " said Mr.. Stone yesterday.
The latest report from the RincoE Even
ing School shows a remarka bic state of
affairs. One class has an enrolment of
and nightly average attendance Of 81.
Another has an enrolment of IL and an
average attendance OF 7.3.
The question with the majority in this
board. " saws D rector Head. as not the
need or efficiency OF people employed, but
low TO get new people into the depart
ment These evening schools are run on
a par with the rest OF il. The Hum boldt
Evening School was created that Director
Ragan m Ight give out prlncipalShlp. /
was out there the other evening and
founc twelve teachers, and nine of them
had from to 20 pupils each"
These are samples of some OF the things
relating 10 evening schools which Super
intendent Webster and perhaps some
other people Will vigorously go mo. So
far this wear the board has elected 3S new
teachers for evening schools and IL even
ing-school substitutes. Last year there
we're 10 evening schools and So principals
and teachers. January last the enroll
ment was 1925 and the average attend
ance 2I37. The last re ports showed that
there are now about 125 principals and
teachers, an enrolment OF 4401 and an
average attendance Of 3006. These reports
are seriously questioned and their relia-
bilitv will be part OF the investigation by
the perintendent-
The evening schools are regarded as
choice patronage plums. as the salary is
$50 for two hours employment five nights
a week. and the teachers are free to pur-
sue their ordinary avocations. There Is
no disposition on any body's part 20 inJure
the evening schools or to decry their need
ar success What is objected TO is the
large and free way in which they have
been used for political patronage along
U,ith the rest of the department., the
l-eening of twenty or thirty unnecessary
teachers under pay and the possibly ex-
stem scneme to stuff reports to hide the
NAUGHTY of attendance IN some cases.
One of the rules OF the last board gov
ernine evening schools provided that no
class should be continued more than
thirty days unless the average attendance
was thirty-fve or more. This board has
cnt the limit down 10 fifteen, and is even
disregarding that.
The following communication has been
receiyed from Director Waller:
SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. %, 1897.
rz,tor Coly-DEAs SIR: viii you kindly give
+1,e foIIowing communication space in your
valued paper u...5, :; ., ox+;o,o
In your issue OF yesteTda6yi IN an &TsGe
"IIu a has charge-He accuses Waller of
oroes extravagauce and hints ct ways that are
dark, appear certain statements PG5P0Ftng
W W +j,,s oO that TO the ordinary mind would i'm
aither want Of integrity or at least lack
Of good faith to the undsrsigne6 II Woq5d 0 b
aPPeai 80 arnar that Director Waller sought to
e. rector a. ,,nop the school Department system
Of that would 6s cost a. S21o9 i0qesgs Tae
truth ,o1 % ~ Tho present fre-alarm system n
s tion shG~e ip various schools TO be grossly de-
feegtye and anquaed and fsens nn aq9 es
citizens of this y "oee nece ssary a cause
an e1pe9se eeertained that complete and scien
~ was Of the present system OF giving