The Jersey City news., 1899-12-18
INF ANGUS BILL.
County Educators Point Out
the Iniquities Of
Senate 1877.
MAKES SCHOOL RULE DESPOTlc
Teachers Must Depend on
Favor of Superintendent,
Not on Good Work.

NCI OIL GCOSA W ~ -
vUbereas. senate bill 1877, the proposed
<oSification and revision of the school
laws Of the State of New jersey, py
It's peculiar provisions for the creatlen
of boards of education, removes poaIus
of education from the eontrol Oh tne
elective or appointive power; ana
Whereas Boards of education are
shorn OF their most important preros
afiyes by the requirement that two
thirds vote OF all the members OF the
board is required to overruie the super
intendeilt in the appointment, promo
ton transfer and dismissal or teacnerS
and f:7e adoption of textbooks and
courses of study, and that board.
even by the unanimous vote 81 an us
members, is debarred from ma A1ns III I--
portant appointments unless on lhe
nomination of the superintendent OF
business manager; ana
Whereas, The proposed law empoW-
ers the State Superintendent OF fupllS
Instruction to remove any member OF
any local board of education on MS sols
authority Without trial, and without,
apparently, any appeal from sucn ac-
whereas, Senate 1877 will be burden
some to taxpayers by creating any new
and expensive offices; and
Whereas Senate 1877 is detrimental 10
the educational interests of the state
by providing for an enormously ana IN
creasingly expensive system OF super,
intendence while ignoring the vital
necessities of good schools and SOUND
education, viz, first class teachers,
and smaller classes so that the teacher
may give more individual attention TO
the pupil and
superintendents, principals, teachers
and all other employees of the board
practically entirely In the power Of the
superintendent and business manager;
Whereas. The whole tendency of the
bill Is to centraliZe the control or the
schools and their patronage in few
officials: now therefore be 1t
Resolved. That it is the sense of the
members present of Hudson county
boards of education that Senate 1877,
in SO many of its provisions is so hos
tile to the best interests of the schools
and the people that it ought to be de-
feated in the Legislature.
The foregoing emphatic protest against
the Stokes bill was the outcome of a
meeting of Hudson County's representa-
tive school men Saturday afternoon in
Hoboken. The meeting, which was held
in Grammar School No. 4, lasted nearly
three hours. The provisions of the bill
were roundly condemned. In addition to
registering their protest in the resolu-
tions set forth, the school men also de-
cided that it would be wise to take active
measures to prevent the passage of the
bill, and before adjeurning arrangements
to hold a convention in this city of dele
gates from the different county Boards
with this object in view were made The
date was left open, subject to call
from William A. Kerr, the secretary of
Saturdays meeting.
The meeting, as announced in ''The
News" on Friday, was called by the Ho-
boken Commissioners of Public Instruc-
tion Former State Senator William S.
Stuhr, a member of the Commission, oe-
cupied the chair: These gentlemen were
present when the session was called to
order at 345:-Direetors of Education
James ]. Mulvaney and C. o. Barker of
Jersey City; Mayor Lawrence Pagan and
Commissioners John Keresey and Tim
othy Doo1ey of Hoboken; Trustee K. ".
Lutz Of Gutenberg; Assemblyman Allan
Benny and Trustee Fred. Chamberlain Of
Bayonne: Trustee Adolph Schletzer of
West Hoboken; Trustee Henry Fleiseh-
kamp Of North Bergen, and State Direc-
tor OF Education William S. Forbes of
Hoboken.
A lengthy letter OF regret at not be-
ing able to attend the meeting was read
from Alexander Mclean. Mr. Mclean
wrote that he would like to be included
In the big number Of teachers friends
fighting the bill and expressed confidence
that it could be amended so as to con-
form with the rational tastes of the
educators opposing IT. Regrets were also
received from Director of Education
William A. Lewis of this city for not
being able to attend.
Mr. Stuhr, after referring to the pur-
pose of the meeting. explained that II
was the idea of the Hoboken sehoolmen
to present the conclusions at a meeting
of the different boards of education OF
the State, to be held next Tuesday, in
Trenton. He characterized the bill as
a @bad and obnoxious one, for which
there was no occasion or excuse"
..By its provisions he said, "the local
government Of the schools will be taken
out of the hands Of the different muni-
cipalities and conditions will be created
which vii jeopardize educational inter-
ests throughout the State. Any bill which
threatens to centralize governmental
power, school or otherwise is dangerous
to the commonwealth. To my mind the
main objection to the Stokes bill is Sec
tion co. This gives to the Legislature
the right to pass a law either putting
the power Of appointing the different
boards in the hands of the Mayor Of
the municipalities or having the boards
elective bodies.
.tConsider what this means. In cite:
of $1,000 or more population the bill pro
vides for city superintendent and bust
ness manager for the board. Both O.
these whould be appointed; the superin
tendent practically for life, as It would
take a two-thirds vote Of the board t
cause his removal The business manager
subject to the same conditions, would bt
as safe. Teachers who were dismissed
could not be reinstated without a two
thirds vote of the board. The superintend-
ent and business manager would practical
ly be the sole men in power and do tbs
whole business of the board. What wouli
be the use Of having boards at all? ons
naturally can ask No use. They would
be mere figureheads. They would be nc
factors in the education organization
whatsoever"
Director Mulvaney was the next speak
er. He said he understood that the meet.
Ing was to be in the form of an open de.
bate and that he would like to be inter
rupted by the members In case any oi
them differed from him or had suggestions
to offer. He entered upon an exhaustive
discussion Of the bill, picking it to pieces
section by section. Although the pro-
visions Of the bill were inimical to the
schools, he said he did not believe the