The San Francisco call., 1899-01-25
Fourteen Knights of
the Broom to Go.
RECLAssIFIED LISTS MADE
JUDGE SEAWELL'S DECISION IS
ANXIoUSLY AWAITED.
Unpaid Teachers May Be Compelled
to Bring Suit Against the
Bondsmen Of the Old
Board.

Not only over the heads of fifty or sixty
teachers will the official ak swing, but
the cruel instrument will be used on other
victims as well. Fourteen janitors-ten
male and four female-will be "consoli-
dated out of their positions. These will
not come from any certain schools, but
will be CLEANED from ALL
In their original way of making places
for friends the late Board of Education
did not stop at material for teachers
jobs, but made places freely. Laborers
and janitors were added to the salary
rolls at pleasure.
These facts have come to the notice Of
the present board, and fourteen ianitors
will therefore be stricken from the pay
rolls.
On Monday evening the Elementary
Committee considered the reports and rec
concentrations of the principals. The list
of teachers employed in December was
compared with the prepared list, less the
number whose classes were consolidated
out. In many cases the reports or the
principals were approved, but In others
there was an apparent hesitancy to rec
ommend the cutting off of able teachers:
On these the committee acted, and
many times the blue pencil marked out
that class. Seemingly there is no heslta-
ton on the part of the Board or Educa-
ton to carry out the provisions of the Gel
ebrated "act of January 4.
school classes the list is complete for the
work of tonight, and the spirit OF reform
will move rapidly.
A member of the Finance Committee,
who has put in his time studying out the
money problem, makes the Following
statmentS:
THE funds of the School Department
are in very much OF an unsettled state
and will remain so until Judge SeaWell
has answered the question as to whether
the one-twelfth act applies to the Board
of Education as it admittedly does to the
expenditures of the Board of Supervisors.
If the court holds that 1t does apply the
Board Of Education will have control of
six-tWelfths of the @ total "a appropriation Of
the fiscal year of 1S9S-1699. Then if the
boards action regarding the reclassilca-
ton is carried out and something like or
hundred teachers are cut off from the sal
ary rolls there will be money enough to
pay the remaining teachers for six
months, ending June s.
After these payments small balance
Will be left for the absolutely needed sup
plies and repairs of the department, but
there will be no money for the new
houses and furniture or for the one hun
board.
If Judge seawel1 decides that the one
tWeIIth act does not apply to the Board
compelled to pay bills contracted prior
TO 1899 there will be huge deficit in the
school fund. approximating quarter of
a million of dollars Then will come tho |
question of how to run the department
six months on q sum barely sufficient for
half that period. The board has no pref |
erence in regard to creditors and is of |
the general opinion that the teachers and |
merchants should share alike.
1T is very distasteful to the members |
of the board to assume the position that |
they cannot recognize any claims con- |
tracted prior to January l, 1899, and they |
only do so because of the belief that the |
one-twelfth act applies to all depart
ments of the city government, and as
they had nothing to do with the contract
ing of these bills which, if allowed will |
be legally in excess of the act, they can |
see no reason for considering the payment |
of the same"
The general opinion in legal circles is |
that Judge Seawell will either decide that |
act does not apply to the. finances of the /
School Department or that a teachers !
either case those salaries will be paid. |
Public sentiment leans to this view, and !
to legiSlate teachers out of their money |
largely because of the criminal eXtrava- |
gance of the late board would be an in |
justice and a hardship. In case of an ad- |
verse decision their only course will be |
is to bring suit against the bondsmen of
the old board, as those ex-ofhcers are sup |
posed to be liable for the excessive ex-
penditures of the, old board
Even this possible good fortune to the !
teachers may be long in coming, if it ever
does. The merchants threaten to bring up
the matter of paid vacations and may
hold that question over the heads of the |
educators for the purpose of bringing
about some kind of a compromise.
A number of mandamuS suits by con-
solidated out teachers will Immediately |
follow the publication Of the fatal list this