The San Francisco call., 1899-02-10
The Teachers Father
Confessor.
iNSUBoRDINATE PRINCIPALS
ROD IN PICKLE FOR PRIvI.
LEGGED EDUCATORS.
The Directors Are Anxious to Have
the Question of Life-Tenure
to Teachers Positions
Finally Decided.

When School Superintendent Webster
Strengthened out the unassigned lists and
got the dismissed teachers down to a
philosophical acceptance of their fate he
thought the hardest part of his task was
done. For four weeks he has labored in
his Office and at the schools on an aver
age of eighteen hours a day. While he,
with his deputies and typewriters, has
been arranging names, dates and changes
in the heavy work of reclassification, his
anterooms have been crowded with COM
planning teachers, protesting citizens and
information seekers Added to this his
desk telephone has been ringing day and
night almost without intermission. He
could close his door and insist on all WIS.,
itors taking their turn, but he could make
no Office rule that would shut out the tele-
phone. A teacher weary of waiting would
seek the nearest station and ring him up,
and the insistent bell would soon bring
him to terms.
Whatever Mr.. Websters sins in being
the heavy instigator of the revolution
that has upheaved the department, a
spirit of unfailing courtesy has possessed
explanations and expostulations. This to
the credit of the man.
= However, the revising of the substitutes,
unassigned and dismissed, did not finish
the work. The Strengthening out of the
regular teachers, the remaining schools
and classes was to be inaugurated. This
labor is now under way, and has proven
10 be no small task. Principals and as
sistant principals long secure in their po-
sitions cannot understand why their
schools should be 'interfered WITH as
they term it. Clouds of reasons have
ernanated from this heretofore privileged
class why their staff of teachers should
not be cut down. In some cases tney nave
reluctantly complied with peremptory or
ders from the board, and in others they
have professed 10 misunderstood lnsuuc-
tions.
his job may be pardoned If he is sllghtly
above boards of education. He cannot
be degraded or dismissed without statu-
tory reasons, OF which INSTRUMENTATION iS
not one and any suit he may bring will
outlive the board. The present heads OF
the department have met several educa-
tors that in this respect overtopped them'
and a quiet little war is on in conse-
Quence. 1t is not the purpose OF this
article to single out the gentler sex as
the greatest insubordinateS, but from the
lady principals and other teachers OF that
gender most solid in San Francisco
schooldom are the hardest to manage.
They are without the radius of reason
and hold on like grim death to their an
cient privileges.
school disciplinarians is the new task Oh
the board This official body is anxious
10 test the question of life tenure in the
department and take from the SchooI syS-
TEN of this city its eleemosynary charac-
ter. AS a preliminary few little evils
have been sponged away. There are no
more superfluous teachers, acting as
:iIlere clerks to principals. NO teacheI
will instruct sixty minutes per diem and
get paid for full month. Soft little mon
.itor jobs in school yards have been abol-
ished classless teachers have become cor
respondingly. salaryless. And the ROD IN
pickle for the principals themselves is
the complete change in their perSonnel
and pay. The cut in salaries. of the Poly
technic is beginning, and such Work
more than $1,000 per month has been saved,
and after a while a still larger sum will
remain in the fund from these economies
each month. 1t is estimated that TINS
saving per year will just pay one months
For the ensuing half year the Building
Committee must worry along with $3OOO
a month. In such a deplorable condition
are the schoolhouses of this city that
twice this sum is needed, but cannot be
spared. The building force consists or
eight carpenters. two painters, and, with
the superintendent, seventeen. persons all
told. The former board raised this force
to thirty-seven. These seventeen work
men will patch little and paint a little
when absolutely necessary.
To-day Auditor Wells may be relieved
of a portion of his burden and the Janu-
6ry teachers or some anxiety. IN all prop
ability Judge Seawell will exempt the
salaries of last month from the $113,0 900
indebtedness, and let that deficit rest on
November-December pay. Mr.. Wells will
then settle for January, Notwithstanding
that General Dickinson, his attorney, has
strongly advised him that he cannot in
any case do SO.
Attorneys Pierce and Henley are pre-
pairing the papers in three cases brought
by eighteen dismissed teachers. The first
is that of substitute. the second pro-
bationary and the third Of a regular, all
of whom claim they were unlawfully de-
prived of their positions in the School De-
partment These will be test cases. and
upon them will hang the fate of all the
dismissed teachers.
Yesterday morning, when Superintend-
ent Webster took up the matter of z. c.
Fitzpatrick, eX-principal of the Business
Evening School, with a view of reinstat-
ing him in his old position, he learned
that the board, in ordering the with
!drawal of the appeal against Fitzpatrick,
had not fully settled the question. While
the present board is disposed to revoke
the acts Of its predecessor, it will prob
ably order a rehearing of the case before
deciding and ending the matter. Then c.
H. Foulks, the present principal of the
school, who has been active in pressing
the charges against Fitzpatrick, will be in
vited to repeat his statements.