The Jersey City news., 1899-12-15
BAD SCHOOL BILL
Boards Of Education to OPP
pose the Tyrannous
Stokes Measure

At meeting OF the Board of Commits
sioners Of Public Instruction. held last
evening, 1t was resolved that a meeting
of the Boards of Education of Hudson
county should be held at the rooms Of the
Hoboken Commissioners, Pubiie School
No. A. Park avenue and Sixth street, Ho-
boken, Saturday, December 16 at three
O'Clock p. M. for the purpose Of con-
sidering Senate Bill 1871. and taking action
thereon prior to the meeting of the Boards
of Education, which is to be held at Tren-
ton, Tuesday, December 10. The Hoboken
Board has sent invitation to their princi-
pals to be present. The letter reads.-
Senate bill 1877 so infringes upon the
dignity and power Of your official po-
sit.on and is so hostile to the best in
terests of the schools and teachers un-
der your care, that it is eminently
necessary that you attend this meet
ing.
The Board has prepared a circular CIV
ing some of the points in which Senate
Bill 1T Is inimical to principals. The
circular roads,
Article VIII. Sec. ia. provides for a
contract system of engaging principals.
While the word yearly is not used in
this section, the intent of the law is that
1T shall be yearly. Already in some places
in New Jersey the yearly contract system
is in force. and in other places the man
uaI Of the Board of Education expressly
terminates all contracts yearly.
Article VII, Sec 81, makes appoint
ment Of superintendent and business
manager mandatory in all districts that
now have, or shall in the future have a
population of $4,000 or more.
Article VI. Sec. n, provides that a
superintendent can be removed only by a
twoIthirds vote of all the members of the
Board. This practically assures the
fee for it win be a weak superintendent
indeed who cannot control one vote more
than third Of the board.
If yearly contract system is good
for principals, why is it not equally good
for superintendents?
Article vi, Sec. 76, provides that the
appointment, promotion and transfer of
principals, If recommended by the super
intendent, may be made by majority OF
a quorum Of the Board, but If made with
out such recommendation a two-thirds
vote of all the members of the Board is
necessary.
.sIn the proposed Board of ten members,
six would be a majority Of quorum.
Therefore, four members Of the board on
the recommendation Of the superinten-
dent can appoint, promote and transfer
principals, but without such recon-
mendation a two-thirds vote OF all the
members of the board is necessary; that
is "a vote of seven members of the Board
is necessary. In almost every provision
of 1877 the superintendent's recommends
ton is made equal TO the vote Of three
members Of the Board. This is sinister
and dangerous provision
ut will be disputed that majority OF
a quorum may be legal majority OF the
Board. Eminent legal authority says tnat
the highest courts in New Jersey nave
decided that a majority of quorum Is
legal majority of the Board, if only
quorum IS present at the meeting.
Article yII. sec. II. The superintendent
NAV suspend any principal, and such prirs-
cipal cannot be reinstated except Dy
two-thirds vote Of all the members OF the
Board.
aArticle VIII, Sec. lis. Even II a dis
missed principal is completely exonerated
ON appeal. such principal may be denied
vindicatfon. because the law makes It
optional with the Board whether he shall
or shall not teach for the unexpired term.
AS Article VI, Sec. II, provides that a two
thirds vote of all the members OF the
board is required to reinstate, it follows
that here also the principal is dependent
entirely on the favor of the superinten-
dent.
.The contract system, Article VIII,
Sec. ia. and the method Of appointment,
Article VI, Sec. 76, make principals who'll
ly dependent on the favor of the superin-
tendent for reappointment.
Senate 1877 will inevitably rob princi-
pals of every vestige of personal, educa-
tional or political independence. Even the
board of education (f opposed by the su-
cannot appoint a principal,
cannot deend him when attacked. or rem
edy a proved injustice, unless the princl-
nal can secure the votes of two-thirds OF
all the members of the Board.
Enact 1877, and principals chief busi-
ness will not be to do his best by his
school, but to maintain himself in the
good graces of the superintendent.
SENATE 1877 will compel principals to
be political agents of the superintendent,
for he must control one vote more than
third of the Board
.sThe foregoing does not apply to fair
minded, high-minded superintendents.
But superintendent are not invariably
high-minded and fair-minded. Laws are
not r to compel good men to do WELL
but to restrain bad men and, to protect
the weak. Such arbitrary and autocTatic
nowers as 1877 gives superintendents
Should not be vested in any man.
ssEvery principal should write to Hon
7. Brognard Belts, Assistant State Super
intendent of Public Instruction, Trenton,
for q COPY of 197 This is requisite for an
intelligent study of the proposed law.