The San Francisco call., 1899-01-24
THAT DREADED
LIST OF THE
UNASSIGNED"
Teachers Waiting for
Roll Call.
A BIT OF LATE-B0ARD HISTORY
DESTROYING THE REPORT OF a
FAVoRITE'S UNFITNEsS.
Issuing January Warrants to the
Teachers-When Will the Pay
A BIT OF LATE-B0ARD HISTORY
DESTROYING THE REPORT OF A
FAVORITE'S UNFITNESS.
Issuing January Warrants to the
Teachers-When Will the Pay
ing Time Come Around
to Them?

The question Of whose name will adorn
! the dreaded unassigned list" is worry
ing by day and keeping awake O. nights
many teacher in this city at present
While nobody outside of the official who
occupies the School Superintendent desk
yet knows to a certainty who compose the
fated number, it is well known that the
list unseen is growing. First it was
| thirty, then forty, sixty, seVenty-fiVe, one
hundred; now there can be no doubt that
the correct number will reach one hun
dred and twenty-five teachers that will
be consolidated out.
1t is with some difficulty that many of
the principals have been made to believe
that the Superintendent meant what he
said when he ordered them to send in
data relative to their classes and pupil
enrolment. In some cases they hesitated
to give the information that would make
changes in the classes of favorite teach
erS, and in others the loss of classes
might mean the regarding of that school.
An eighteen-class school ranks a S200-
principal, with two vice principals to sup
port the dignity of the position From
this it is quite easy to see how a princi-
pal may bring himself to regret any
movement that might affect his financial
and educational grade.
The day school teachers are praying
that the impending stroke will come down
on the evening educators first. as the
scattering of those classes into their own
salvation.
From their. recent visits through the
evening schools the visiting Directors have
received much practical education them
selves They have found schools that
were only schools in name; where pupils
lOunged into the class rooms only for
the purpose of finding a place to idle away
a couple of hours of the early or dull
part of the evening. Discipline lax be-
cause, principally, severity would only
drive the pupil from the class, a result
to. be ,deplored by the teacher and
principal Such condition, of course, does
not apply to all, as the visitors found,
but where the school was tOpheavy with
instructors and short on the Instructed
A leaf from the history Of the old
ton of the fact that a report was made
to that body at its last meeting touching
the ability of Miss Lvdia Carroll. She is
the vice principal of the Mission High
School, and was charged by Principal
O'Connor with being deficient in scholar
ship" and unable to impart knowledge
to her pupils" OConnor requested the
board to assign her to some other school
declaring that she would never leave and
was of no use to the school. Miss Car
roll is the niece of eX-Director Hammond
then in office, and was elected to her posi-
ton last March, having just graduated
from the High School and her expert
ence as a teacher covered only few
months when given her position in the
Mission School AS Hammond's vote was
needed at the last meeting of the board
to pass one of its outrageous measures
O'Connor, however, kept tally on the
matter, and the present board will hear
more from him on the subject.
Regarding the matter of removing
teacher for incompetency, it is a question
as to whether it can be brought about
The burden of proof is on the department
and the mere say so of the principal or
complaining witness will not pass with
the Superior or Supreme court should
some dismissed teacher take it into his
or her head to fight such case. Years
come and boards may go, each succeeding
body inheriting the suit from it's prede-
cessor. Once teacher, always a teacher
may be the rule unless the school direc-
tory succeed in establishing the prece-
dent as it is trying to do, of abohshing
a teacher by scattering the classes.
Yesterday was warrant day-and it used
to be equivalent to pay day, but that is
another story-for the teachers. With
the injunctions hanging over the pay
master there is no telling when the coin
resort to mandamus pressures for the
payment of this months salaries, and a
few more troubles will be added to those
already piled up.
Directors have been discussing since they
assumed office is the chaotic financial
condition which has confronted them.
They were bequeathed an Indebtedness of
over 100000 by their predecessors
Auditor Asa r. Wells submitted a imam
cial statement to them yesterday that
SHOWS IUeN Will nave S0f0,Z0O bE with which
to run the department for the ensuing
six months. Mr.. Wells report follows:
SAN FRANCISCO, Jan 21, 1899.
H. NJ. Holbrook, Chairman Finance Com
mittee Board of Education-Dear Sir: I here
by certify that the following is a true and
correct account of the school fund as appears
by, the records in the books of the Auditors
office:
General total appropriation. 81, PILL
Less back salaries. 100 900
-$1 III. 140 90
Amount audited to date .............. 57S, SS1 SS
Balance in fund ...................s 54S. 25S So
Amount available LIP act, January
81, 1899 .........s 177,7S8 50
Amount available LIP act, Decem-
ber 81, 1888 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. $3.50 81
Mission High School, total ap-
preparation S2OO,0 600
/ t1Atfa '-.-....-........-....-....... 1900
-$215, 900 90
Amount audited ......................I I67, ,30S Is
Total in fund up to date. Al. .691 Ia
Respectfully,