The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1899-06-15
SCHOOL BOARD
IS SCORED BY
DIRECTOR HEAD
Objects to Star Cham
Der Sessions.

The Board of Education at its meeting
last night was treated to an artistic
roasting" at the hands Of Director Head.
He termed the executive sessions of the
board dark lantern sessions" and very
strongly intimated that the sessions were
secret in order to facilitate the transac-
ton of crooked work
Practically the entire business of the
present Board of Education has up to the
present time been transacted behind
closed doors. This has given rise to much
complaint and many whispered accusa-
tons, and it has come to be generally I'M
derstood that the majority of the mem
bers of the board are either afraid or
ashamed to allow the public to see them
in the act of determining what course
shall be taken regarding public business.
Last evening, as soon as the minutes of
the previous meeting had been read, Su-
perintendent Webster asked that the
board resolve itself into committee of
the whole and go into executive ses-
sion. This was too much for Director
Head, who expressed himself as follows:
1T has become customary for this
board to resolve itself into a commit
tee of the whole for the purpose of
transacting the business of the board
in secret session. Our business should
be done in the open-that is, if we
have anything to do of which we are
not ashamed.
AT the last session of this board it
went into secret session and COnSid-
cred bids for the painting of certain
schoolhouses. The result of that dark
lantern meeting was to let the con-
tract to bidder who was not TN, the
on the bare statement of one Of the
members of the board that the lowest
bidder was irresponsible. | have since
been informed that the statement was
not founded on fact.
The taxpayers of this city are enti-
tied TO know how the business of this
department of the city government is
conducted. and l protest against these
secret meetings.
Director Head said much more to the
same effect and taken altogether he gave
the members a very uncomfortable five
minutes.
The contract for painting to which he
referred was let to c. Brooks. although
n. Gottung was the lowest bidder on two
of the three schoolhouses bid upon.
The motion to go into executive session
was put and all members except Director
Head voted in the affirmative.
= Contracts for furnishing supplies to the
following firms: Bennett Bros. James A.
Shook & Co, w. P, Funer & Co, Yates
& Co, Whitaker & Ray Company, Cum
ningham Curtiss e WEIGH, Payot Up
ham & Co, II. S. Crocker & Co., Sanborn.
Vail & Co, Sampson Brush Company At
lantic Brush Company, c. f. Weber &
- 1IlOIlldS MOI lOIl' t. 6eaDOuS ana
George II. Fuller Desk Company
The Building and Grounds Committee
recommended that all bids or lumber be
rejected on the ground that all bids were
too high. Director Head objected to this
course, and asked that the bidders be
given an opportun.ty to be heard On
motion the bids were re-referred to the
committee
The contract for furnishing ink and pa
per gave rise to another controversy The
successful bidder was Payot Upham q
Co, though the prices named by this firm
were not the lowest submitted. Director
Kemp asserted that the same ink quoted
by Payot Upham & Co. at 60 cents was
quoted by Brown & Power, another bid
der, a so cents. He also asserted that the
expert on paper. whose opinion was taken
by the committee to whom the bids were
submitted is the local agent of tie paner
he declared to be the best and which was
accepted by the committee at 81 25 where
as other bidders quoted price as low as 90
cents. Director Kemp proved his asser-
tons by the presentation of letters and
other documents Director Gedge who is
member of the supplies Committee
Sweetly repudiated the Inference that
there had been any favoritism shown, and
after long wrangle the report of the
committee was adopted Directors Head
and Kemp voting no.
The following resolutions were adopted:
Resolved, That pupils of the Fourth.
Fifth, Sixth, Seventh and Eighth
grades who failed to secure the mini
mum of 60 per cent in not more than
two subjects in the recent examina-
tons may be re-eXamined in said sub
jects on July 81, August and August