Evening star., 1900-03-23
THE SCHOOL INQUIRY
Report of Senate Subcommittee Pre-
sented.
DEPARTMENT OF SCHOOLS CREATED
Members to Be Appointed by the
President.
9TH Err LOCAL MATTERS

The Senate committee on the District OF
Columbia today took favorable action on
number of local measures of great interest
A report recommending a change in the
public school system of the District was
made, and an amendment to the District
appropriation bill was favorably reported
providing for a new board of trustees, con-
sisting Of five persons, to be appointed by
the President to receive a limited compen-
sation, and to have full charge of school
matters. The report did not undertake to
fix responsibility for any undesirable con-
ditions that have been developed by the
recent investigation into the public schools.
but 1t suggests that so-called nature or
science studies should be curtailed and that
children in the elementary grades should
be given thorough drill on spelling, PEN
manship. arithmetic, grammar and geog-
raphy. The committee made the following
report on public schools:
The Report.
The committee on the District of Column
bia, to whom was referred the resolution
Resolved That the committee on the
District of Columbia is hereby directed to
make inquiry and inform the Senate what
course of studies is prescribed for the pub
lie schools of the District and whether a
thorough instruction in spelling, reading,
writing, grammar. arithmetic and geogra-
ply supersede teaching of the higher
branches of learning, and if not, why not
having completed its inquiry, reports that
it has taken much evidence upon the sub
ject of the public schools of the District
and that as a result of its Investigations it
recommends that the District of Columbia
appropriation bill be amended as follows
On page %, under the head of Public
Schools" strike out line p. and on page
q strike out from the top of the page down
to and including line IL, and insert in lieu
thereof the following five paragraphs to and
including the words twenty thousand dol
lars"
lie schools in the government of the District
of Columbia, and the President Of the
United States is hereby authorized to ap-
point, by and with the advice and consent
of the Senate, five persons residing in the
District of Columbia, to constitute a board
of education, whose term of office shall be
five years, except that the terms of the
persons first appointed shall terminate as
follows: One each year, to be determined
by lot among the five members of the board
members of the board shall be $50 per
capita for personal attendance at each
meeting, but shall not exceed for any men,
ber $1,000 per annum. The board shall have
complete jurisdiction over all matters con-
nected with the public schools of the Dis
tration of the public funds and the care and
management Of school buildings, except
construction, and shall make all naedful
rules and regulations which may be proper
for the conduct of the business of the de-
partment, and shall submit to Congress an
annual report of the operations of the de-
partment, together with the needs of the
service, and particularly the sanitary and
structural condition of all buildings in use
as well as those in course of construction.