The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-05-24

MADE FOR COMMENCEMENT EN-
ERCISES OF HIGH SCHOOL.
The regular meeting of the board of
control last night offered a sufficient
variety of sober, lively and other kinds
of business to satisfy the most exact
ing kind of individual interested in city
affairs. The proceedings included an
attempt on the part of Mr.. Langan to
! justify his installation of a teacher in
No. school without the consent of the
| board, and his attacks on Superintend-
| ent Howell for the latter's report Of
| May 9, which informed the board of
! the unauthorized installation.
Superintendent Howell's report of
! May was an exhaustive statement
! showing the average number Of pupils
! per teacher to be 43 throughout the
| city. 1t also contained the following:
| The above facts are presented that you
| may give consideration to the following
! case: On or about April 26, Mr. Ziedler,
! controller of the Eighth ward, accompa-
| MED by Mr. LanEan, controller of the
| Eighteenth ward and chairman of the
| teachers committee. entered No. 6 school,
| and up due investigation j found that
| promotions had been made and n teacher
! installed without my knowledge or con-
sent. Twelve pupils were taken from the
first primary and thirteen from the sec
| Ond primary, and a grade was estab
! lished I'm the second floor in the interme-
| diato department, where the feet of the
! children hung suspended at least five
! inches from the floor
AVERAGE ATTENDANCE.
Had no change been made at No. 6
! school each teacher. would have had an
average of forty-twO pupils. Now 1t is
! reduced to thrty-sX. in all modern
| buildings we cndcavor to keep the aver
| age above forty, and by an enrolment
prepared by our principals May 2, after
all Apri! promotions were made, thirty
| one schools out of thirty-scven have an
| average of over forty. Those buildings
| which have an average of less than forty
are either old buildings heated by stoves
or buildings containing anneXes where the
| sittings are less than forty-eight per
| teacher.
If an average enrolment of thirty-six
is maintained throughout the city, we
| shall need three hundred and forty-seven
| teachers, or forty-five more than we have
| at the present time. On an average sal
| airy of $40 per month this means an ad-
| ditiOnal cost in salaries to the taxpayers
of the city of Scranton S,S0J monthly,
| and forty-five new rooms at $1,000 per
room, $4,000 additional for building pur-
| poses.
Last night Mr.. LanEan, chairman
| of the teachers committee, to which
had been referred the report, presented
a recommendation that in future no
school rooms shall be opened until
authorized by the board after consider
! alton by the teachers committee upon
recommendation of the superintendent.
| The recommendation was adopted as
We're those restoring the salaries of
| Miss Clark, of No. IA, and Miss Bene-
dict, of No. %, to $j5 per month; grant
! ing leave of absence during June to
| Miss Gay. and fixing June II as the
| date for closing the schools.
MIR. GIBBONS POINT.
Mr.. Langan then began what he
said was "a reply to charges made
against him by the superintendent" ;"
The fact that the alleged charge" is
contained in the foregoing extract
would seem to justify Mr.. Gibbons
point that no charge had been made;
that the statement by Mr.. Langan
was unwarranted by the facts and
that he should be prevented from
]
to committee. President Francois fail
ed to see it that way and decided that
Mr.. Langan could continue his re-
marks later in the session.
Later Mr. Langan read from Super
| intendent Howelps report references to
several schools whose average of pupils
per teacher was much less or much
| greater than the superintendent him.
| nII-paatnI oh he
latter with being liable to censure for
using more teachers than were neces-
sary or for showing partiality to cer-
tain schools, principally on the West
| Side where the average is low
Mr.. Gibbons voiced the expressed
sentiment of the predominating ele-
mcnt on the board which has upheld
the superintendent in his stand in say
ing that Mr.. Langan's remarks were
due to anmosity, Mr.. Gibbons said:
II have no personal inter.s in the
superintendent, I insist, however
that the idea that the board comedies
with Mr.. Langan's view shall not go
abroad from this meeting. We know
that no controller had the right to
do what Mr.. Langan did at No. G
school If the principal had been a
man instead of a woman Mr.. Langan
| would have been taken by the collar
and led out of the building. He has
been caught in something wrong and
for one will not cOuntenance his strik-
ing at the superintendent who made
no attack on Mr., Langan and no charge
agaist him"
No direct reply to the details Of
Mr.. Gibbons remarks We're made by
Mr. Langan but he continued to JUS
tify his course by asserting that seven
teen more teachers this year than last
year are employed although the enroll,
ment of pupils is less. If the super.
intendent argued that he should be
consulted about grades and teachers
he confessed his liability to censure.
The incident closed with the appoint.
ment, on Mr.. Barker's motion, Of g
special committee of five to consider
the matter and report at the next meet,
ing. On this committee, President
Francois appointed Mr.. May, chairman
and Messrs. Jennings, Jayne, Walsh
and Leonard,
NO FUNDS IN SIGHT.
Nov that you have passed a mum,
Der Of bills and authorized other ex.
penditures without any funds on hanC
or in sight, how are you going to pro
vide payments?" was President Fran
cois' query just before adjournment