The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1899-12-29
BILL NO. 1877
Commission On Qualification
Makes an Official State
ment.
MISS ALLEN BLAMED AGAIN
Hazen Says She Attached His
Signature Without Per
mission.

hF ItiLlGtsuuS anu HGHuNcldliUuS winch
have been leveled against the Commission
appointed to revise and codify the school
laws of the State, has led the Commission
to make public an authorized statement,
showing just what it has done and what
are its functions. This statement. which
has been concurred in by all the members
of the Commission. was given out last
night. after having been carefully revised.
Il sets forth very clearly the work and
aims of hat body.
One of those who have been most bit
terly opposed to the report of the COM
mittee is Miss Elizabeth Allen. of Hobo
ken. Indeed, SO deeply interested was
Miss Alien in her crusade against the
Commission and Senate bill 1877 that a
few days ago she addressed a letter to the
members Of The Commission. which was
signed as coming from wv. L. R. Hazen,
President Of the New Jersey State Teach
ers' Association
In this letter Miss Allen says that there
was a strong desire that the report Of the
Commission be discussed at the meeting
of the Teachers Association now in ses-
sion at Jersey city.
III seems better. she says. that his
question be presented in regular addresses
than In open discussion. / nave arranged
that some person representing the teach
ers' side shall open with a thlrty-minute
spokesman selected by them be given the
next forty minutes to reply.
The letter continues that his reply shall
be t. answ-r directly to the objections
mada ~ Eaa first speaker, and to eS-
~poundt2s sns proposed bill. Then a
friend Of the teachers was to have
thirty minutes IN which to be heard
To this epistle. as already statsd, was
attached the name of President Hazen.
1t now appears that the letters were sent
ont without the knowledge Of Mr.. Hazen
n absolutely without his authorization
After she a sent these letters, Miss
Allen, It is said, wrote 70 MI. Hazeh anu
time expressing the hope that her action
would meet his approval As Tar a. can
b. gathered, however, Mr.. Fiazen was MOI
particularly gratihed when ne discovered
what had been done.
The statement given out last nignt py
the Commission follows
OF The School Law is apparently so gem
orally Inexperienced that the Com
mission having this matter in charge
has authorized q general statement as
To HIS dllilAQG WILL CA-%
uestion ana the new report 1t hopes to
submit to the coming Legislature OF
New Jersey.
The Commission was appointed by
the Governor a year age last June. and
consists Of State Senator II. e. Q
J.. b. Belts, Assistant State Superinten-
dent Of Public Instruction. and s. 81 y
McCutehon, a member OF the state
Board OF Education, who entered upon
their work and prepared and submitted
to the Legislature last spring their re-
This work has involved great labor. In
its preparation, the Commission had
consulted the school laws OF many or
the States of the Union: had asked the
advice and cooperation of teachers and
school boards, professional educators
and executive and financial officers OF
municipalities. Its purpose was TO con-
dense and simplify the school law. so
that il could be easily understood; to
d provisions which would round OUT
and complete the law for the regulation
and control of schools and school dis
tricts. and to supply adequate legal pro-
vision in respects in which the present
law is wholly lacking, in other words.
to provide a uniform system or schooI
government as a substitute for the pateh
work law now in USE: to remove school
officers and teachers from the thral-
dom of politics and political influences;
to elevate the dignity Of the profession
it to a greater devotion to educational
work, and to frame a law which would
encourage the highest and most modern
ideas in educational work, ard to make
the State, so far as possible, the leading
educational State in the Union
THE Commission presented its .eport,
in the shape of Senate bill No. 1877, TO
the Legislature 50 late it could not
wisely be considered at that session. 1t
was not urged 70 passage for the reason
the Commission believed that as
this was the most important measure
before the Legislature, hasty action
upon 1t would be unwise. and that time
should be given for further considera-
tion. criticism and amendment.
Its old report, Senate bill No. 1877, has
been printed, ard has been widely spread
over the State. in order to bring out COM
me1lts, suggestions ard advice. Circulars
have been sent out also. inviting the CO.
operation of professional educators, muni-
cipa1 officials, boards of trustees and
teachers.
given hearings in various parts of the
State and proposes, If convenient before
completing its new report. TO give three
general hearingEone at Camden, one at
Jersey City or Newark, ana one az TTen-
ton-in order that the views of the var
ious sections OF the State may be ascer-
tanned.
The Commission has already received
suggestions which it prizes and which 1t
considers worthy of adoption, and sew
eral provisions of its old report viii be
changed.
The general scheme of codiicatlon d.
vides the school districts of the State in
to TWO classes, one OF winch Will luCiude
the school districts in townships, and the
other those in cities, boroughs and incer-
porated towns. So far as the first class
is concerned, the Commission does not
recommend radical changes from the
present law; it did, however, offer certain
changes which it considered wise, n
seem generally to be approved,
yiz.:-School Boards are given the right
to transport pupils to schools remote from
their residences. at a Saving In expense
and a great gain in efficiency of educa-
tion: provision is made for the union of
two or more districts in the establishment
school. where a more advanced course of
may be pursued than either of
these districts could alone afford to pro-
vide. In this group of districts. members
of Boards CT Education are elected in the
same manne as they are now consti-
IN the second group of districts. which
includes cities. ~boroughs and incorpor- I
ated towns, divided into wards. more ser
changes are introduced. for the rea-
son tha there has heretofore been no
lie schools in such localities. Naturally,
then. this subdivision OF their WORK.
needs more attention. The Commission
recommends q term of five wears for a
reesnher of e board of education to en-
able him to more thoroughly famfliarize
himself with his duties: to insure a more
and effectuai separattoft of the
school board from political control and
from political Influence. and to- give sta
bility 70 the board and i'll work 4 y
sppsisa Win ! board only one-nffh 81
members s2FEi retire each year.
1,ho ofd renorf3n4kfhe forncnfsafon pro- !