The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1899-05-02
MEETING OF THE ALDERMEN
RESOLUTION TO DISPENSE WITH
SCHOOL sUpERvIsoRs

Was the Cause of a Heated Discussion
and Was Defeated-Later Referred to .
Special Committee for u Public Hear-
ing-street sprinkling Resolution Re-
ferred to a Committee
The question Of dispensing with the
services of the supervisors in the public
schools occupied the attention Of the
board of aldermen for the greater part
of their session last night. The resolu-
tion which provoked lengthy and to q
great degree spirited discussion was in
troduced by Alderman Dewell and is as
follows:
Resolved, That the board of aldermen
express it's disapproval, and the same is
hereby expressed against the supervis-
ory system of education which prevails
in our public schools because said sysl
tenn causes an unnecessary expense to
the taxpayers, is interfering with the
teachers in instructing the children in
the essential studies and Is harming the
children and more particularly those
who have to go to work at the age OF
fourteen years and who comprise about
80 per cent. of our public school chill
dren, and be it further
Resolved, That in the opinion of this
board the New Haven school district is
not large enough to demand an assistant
superintendent at a salary Of $1,000, Gas
the supervisor of the primary depart-
ment is in reality an assistant to the SUI
perintendent, she spending nearly If not
all her time, acting in that capacity,
and be it further
Resolved, That in the opinion Of this
board the duties Of the superintendent
have not increased sufficiently in the
past two years to warrant the taxpay-
ers in paying for an assistant when they
are paying the superintendent salary
of $500, and providing a supervising
principal for each district at salary
of from $4,000 to $2,50O year $4,000
for women and $2,500 for men), conse-
quently such assistant to the superin-
tendent seems to be unnecessary and q
reprehensible waste of the taxpayers
money and be 1t further
Resolved That nothing in this resolu-
tion shall be construed to operate
against the teacher of music, who is not
a supervising non-teaching critic, but
teacher in every sense of the word, and
be it further
Resolved, That it is the honest opir-
ion of this board in presenting this reso-
luton that it is following the wishes Of a
large majority of the voters who elected
them to this body, and be it further
Resolved, That this board being part
OF the court Of common council, the
only municipal body directly represen4A
tative of the citizens and taxpayers Of
the city Gn fact the only pretence OF 4
popular government which was SO dear
to our forefathers, our city can lay
claim toy should protest in the name OF
the citizens and taxpayers against this
extravagant, false and harmful system
which has been introduced into our
schools by the superintendent and board
Of education against the wishes Of the
great majority, and be 1t further
Resolved That copy Of this resolu-
Ion be sent forthwith to the board OF
requesting that the wishes OF
the citizens and taxpayers be carried out
and the harmful supervisory system be
abolished at once, and that no super
yisors or assistant to the superintendent
De re-engaged under any name whatso-
,Ver, and be 1t further
Resolved, That this resolution be
printed in our journal and copy sent
o the board of finance, with request
hat in allowing money in the future to
he board of education, that it take no.
ice of this resolution, which has been
made up after most exhausted inquiry
~ the members of the board of alder
nen as to the wishes Of the taxpayers OF
his city.
Dated at New Haven this first day OF
lay, A. D. 1899.
In support of his resolution Alderman
)ewell said that supervisors were a II
leedless expense and not necessity In
he public schools. The teaching Of wa
er color and animal drawing was en-
irely superfluous, as they do not in any
way prepare the pupils to battle with
he problems of life. His criticism was
ntirely unpersonal He had no fault
0 find with the supervisors themselves,
ut the fault was in the fact that they
o not teach but simply give advice.
lie said that the people do not go into
he fact that a majority of the pupils
cave school at an early age and that at
hat time they have not received the
ecessary fundamental education. He
sserted that the superintendent Of
chools said that rather than dispense
18th the system of supervisors he would
o away with the high school, Many
,tters have been received by the COM
littee which was originally appointed
, consider a transfer of funds in the
apartment of education. When this
ommittee met the question of what dis
osition was to be made with the mon
Y came up and with it the matter Of
lpervisors. Hence the investigation
nd the offering of the above named
solution. These letters were received
ON teachers who are fearful of ap-
caring personally before the commits
e by reason of the fact that they jeop-
rdize their positions by SO doing. 1t
as especially noted that the supposed
lpervisor of primary work was in real
y AN assistant superintendent. This ss
as virtually admitted by witnesses
no appeared before the committee.
he superintendent is employed at q
Ilary of $3,S0O and the assistant at So
0. which amounts to $500 and which
more than any other city in New
ngland is paying for the same. The
;sistant simply has another name. Mr..
Epson is teacher of music and not a
cojI "a