Akron daily Democrat. [volume] (Akron, Ohio) 1892-1902, 1899-07-06

tenQent ana ScnOOl principals nave
neglected TO make proper suggestions
and criticisms of the individual
teachers work at the proper time,
but have reserved such criticism to
the end of the school year.
Ninth. We also believe that there
has been entirely too much inter-
ference ON the part of the public in
the matter of the employment of
teachers.
Our Board is elected to look after
all matters of this kind and is in full
possession of all facts touching the
abilities of applicants or those
employed in the schools, and to the
Board should be left the final dis
position of all such cases.
While recognizing the right of the
public to be interested in our schools,
yet we are pursuaded that often
personal interests are carried to such
an extent as to hamper and hinder
both the committee and others in
charge'of this particular work.
Tenth. We feel that discretion and
prudence has not always been eX-
ercised by members of the Board
and Superintendent, in negotiating
with applications for the position of
teacher, which has resulted in dis
appointment, dissatisfaction and
trouble in many cases brought to
our notice.
Eleventh. In our Judgment there
has not been the proper guarding of
matters talked over i'll teachers
committee meetings, touching the
character and ability of our teachers,
which has tended to misunderstand-
ings, hard-feelings and has hampered
the peaceful solution of the very
difficult problem of making up our
roll of teachers.
Committee meetings should be a
place where confidential opinions
could be exchanged without the
apprehension that anything but the
general results and determinations
will be spread before the Board or
the public.
Twelfth. We also find that there
is an opinion quite current in this
city to the effect that the Superinten-
dent and the Board of Education
have Disseminated against teachers
and applicants for the position of
teacher, who reside or were educated
in the city of Akron; and have
favored those applicants and teachers
who reside without said city, and
have been educated in the Normal
schools of other states; but we
believe that there is no SUBJ
stantial ground for such opinion or
cause for such complaint; and we
find that whatever circumstances
might look towards a just cause for
grievance in that respect are the re-
suit of an honest and conscientious
effort on the part of the Board to lift
up the schools of this city and place
them on higher plane, and to that
end the employment of a limited
number of teachers with different
methods of instruction, from differ
ent places of education, has been
deemed advisable; and such desire
of the Board and the need in such
behalf was communicated by it to the
superintendent at the commence
ment of his employment in this city
in the year 1897.
Thirteenth. We feel that the mat
ter of salaries should be so arranged
that all teachers employed in the
same grade or doing the same
amount and kind of work should re-
ceive like pay, modified by expert
ence in our own schools and else
where.
While we recognize that the merit
system is in many respects most de-
sirable and equitable, bringing
strength and health to our schools,