The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1899-02-03
Public Trials by the
School Board.
COMPLAINTS OF PRINCIPAL
NEW PROBLEMS PRESENTED TO
DIRECTORS.
Consolidation Has Injured the Stand
ard of Scholarship in the De- I
partment by Creating
Mixed Grades.

An experience of two days has been a
practical demonstration to Superintend-
ent Of Schools r. H. Webster and to sew
eral n'embers of the Board of Education
that the reforms already instituted in the
department are not sufficient to place the
public schools upon a basis of complete
efficiency. Teachers that are utterly in
competent for the work of instruction
are row in charge of classes. These
teachers have been for years on the I'M
assigned list. but the chronological
changes forced them to the front Some
measure will be taken to eliminate them
from the department. This is one reform
that the Board of Education does not in
tend 70 shirk. Another is made neces-
sary by problem that the School Di-
rectors themselves did not rightly under
stand when they carried into effect their
own plan of consolidation. 1t also will
receive attention.
When the School Board determined to
destroy the abuses of its predecessor the
fact was thoroughly understood that I'M
der tie rule of chronological succession
several incompetent teachers would be
given classes. These instructors have
been in the department for years, and I'M
DER the ruling OF the board could not be
ignored. In the first place, they could not
be dismissed arbitrarily without raising a
howl of sympathy, and it was inexpe-
dlent in the midst of confusion and
change TO order trial. incompetent in
structors were therefore put back to
active work in the department.
Their stay Will be of short duration,
however, as the Board of Education in
tends to have these incompetents tried
on their merits, and if they do not meet
the standard they will be dismissed. Pub
lie trials Will be granted in every instance,
so as to conform to the law. Complaints
already heinz md in,
days Will reach the Superintendent of
Schools. Through him they will come to
the notice of the Board of Education and
the test of a trial The Directors are not
content with decreasing the number of
teachers. The standard of necessary abil-
ity viii be maintained as well. 1t is ex-
pected that at least fifteen teachers will
have to stand trial for incompetency
within very short time.
mis- Will advance every teacher on the
substitute and unassigned lists fifteen
numbers toward the goal of permanent
employment in the department. One prin-
cipal of a school who will complain on
the score of incompetent teachers insists
that she has three worthless instructors
saddled upon her by the reform changes
of the board. When the noise and confu-
sion incident to the chronological changes
have ceased the trials for lncompetency
will begin.
The second problem which the Board of
Education must face is, perhaps, more
complicated and more difficult to handle.
In many instances in the department con-
solicitation upon a basis of fifty pupils to a
class has forced principals to create
mixed grades. This mixture of grades
is recognized by the Directors themselves
as an evil inevitably tending to reduce the
standard OF scholarly excellence in the
schools. A teacher who must divide her
time and her attention between two
grades cannot as a matter of course keep
both classes at the same standard of eX-
cellence as she could one. A spirit of
decentralization enters into a classroom
where two grades are being taught. The
Directors are free to admit that proba-
bic injury will be the result of this con-
solidatiOn to the department.
How to avoid the consequences, how
ever, is the question that has not yet
been answered. If the attendance should
increase new teachers as a matter or
course would be appointed. If the attend
ance does not increase some other solu-
ton not yet suggested must be obtained.
Teachers who have been dismissed from
the department are now determined 10
fight legally for their places. They re-
port daily at their former schools and at
the offices of the Board of Education In or
der that they may overlook no technicalit-
that might have a meaning in court of
law. Some of the teachers have positive
" declined TO give up their rollbooks and
declare they will not do so unless under
actual force. This condition of affairs,
however. does not concern the educa-
tional authorities in the least.
Attorney Bergerot the president OF the
board, said yesterday:
I'VE are loaded up to the muzzle for
lawsuits
come along one by one.
I I'VE deeply regret the necessity that
/ has driven US 10 dismiss those teachers,
but thew and, in fact all the teachers in
/ this department must learn that the
schools of San Francisco will not in fu-
ture be maintained for the benefit of those
who happen to be employed in them. Inc
I children of this city are to be considered
first. This board desires that these schools
be kept open for the pupil, and to do this
heroic measures have been adopted. The
teachers who may be preparing to rush
into court had better study the matter, as
I'VE have. Kate KennedyS position was
mot abolished, neither was she dismissed
tor good and sufficient reasons. She was
E degraded and her salary lowered. The
Supreme Court closed its decision with a
plain acknowledgment that cases might
arise where in the abolition of school
or class or for some reason a teacher
could be dismissed, but as such questions
had not entered into the case they were
not considered. can say no good, com
petent teacher will fare unjustly at the
hands of the present board.
"Relatve to the Normal School grad
yates 1 win explain that they will be
given certificates after examination, as in
the past, and such will be in every re-
spect valid. The course of examination
prepared by the board will call for a per-
centage average Of IS in all subjects, and
not less than 70 per cent Of correct an
swers in any one subject
II have found in section of the con-
solidation act that the Supervisors are
fciency All the Board of Education has
to do is to certify that the deficiency was
unavoidable We can certify that $780,
600 of that deficit was unavoidable, be-
cause it was used to cover deficit from
the preceding fiscal year. We do not
maintain that our predecessors squan-
dered money every year Moreover, if
the courts hold that we must pay all
those back bills the big deficiency will be
unavoidable"
The appeal in the case against e. C.
Kilpatrick will be withdrawn by order of
the judiciary Committee of the Board of
Education.
Mrs. NJ. c. Mcdonald. who displaced Miss
Passalacqua in the Chinese School, has
been granted leave of absence She has
generously requested that Miss Passa-
iacqua who was placed on the substi-
tute list, be reinstated in the Chinese
School, and as the latter is quite a
Chinese scholar the offer was gladly ac-
cepted. Mrs. Mcdonald on her return
will take the other teachers number on
the substitute list In the great Shuttle
of last week the name of Miss Mary
Mead came up and was marked ''re-
signed" 1t has transpired that she has
recently married, her name now being
Morrisey. This miX-up of names and
weddings may have kindred cases in the
records of the late board. Mrs. Morrisey
however, will be assigned to class The
teachers who met at 532 Geary street
Wednesday afternoon will not take any
steps by law toward regaining their lost