The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1900-01-05
SENATE BILL DI AGAIN.
Continued from First Page.

Continued from First Page.
to enable him to familiarize himself
more thoroughly with his duties
to insure more radical and effectual
separation of the school board from
political control and from political
influence, and to give stability to the
Board and its work. 1t is apparent
that such stability will be secured
with Board, only one-fifth of whose
members shall retire each year. ..The
old report of the Commission provides
as does the present law for the appoint
ment of city superintendent of
schools, and for the appointment of
an officer known as business
manager, to look after the school
property, and to manage the purely
business side of the school work.
1t is proposed in the new report to
make the appointment of this officer,
the business manager, optional with
boards of education.
Discussion has been aroused by the
provision in Senate Bill No. 1871,
which requires a two-thirds vote of
school boards for the adoption and
changes of text books and course of
study and appointment, promotion
and transfer of teachers, when not
recommended by the superintendent,
and for the reinstatement of teach
ers, when suspended by the superin-
tendent. In the report which the
Commission is now preparing, this
requirement of two-thirds vote of
the Board will be eliminated wherever
it occurs, and the majority vote of the
Board shall in all respects control.
This change will affect Sections Ga,
70, 70, rs, and rs and school boards
will have as now the fullest authority
over the schools and all their en-
ployes, superintendent, teachers,
janitors, and other assistants.
Some teachers have been unne ,essa-
rily exercised by the fear that under
the proposed revision they will be
compelled to make annual contracts
with their boards. The Commission
never entertained such purpose, nor
can the report submitted last year be
SO interpreted. Under the present
system much confusion arises as to
the terms of the contract between
Boards of Education and their teach
ers. At the present time in many
districts, these contracts are merely
verbal, and in cases of dispute as to
their terms there is no written evil
dence to decide the controversy. Senate
Bill No. 1877 provided merely that
where teachers were employed by
boards, the terms of the agreement
should be set forth in writing and
preserved as evidence of the character
of the contract; this contract might
consist of the rules and regulations of
did not require that fixed limited
term of employment should be speci
boards prescribing tenure of office and
fed. The preservation of this right
to school boards in cities was present
in the minds of the Commission when
the provision was drawn. However,
in view of this misunderstanding,
the Commission now determines in
its new report to make this clause
Enthusiastically plain by giving to
boards expressly the power to enact
rules and regulations covering the
terms and tenure in all respects of
teachers employment
The above suggestions must satisfy
the public that Senate Bill No 1877 is
not now the report proposed by the
Commission it is the frame work
upon which its new report shall be
raised. Every clause of it and every
sentence of it is open to change and
amendment the Commission has no
personal ambition, except to best dis
charge its duty; it is welded to-no
special scheme; it has .'no'pet theories
which cannot be abandoned and
changed; there is no egotism in it's
work; its desire is simply ito help
to secure the best school lawspossible /;
the Commission again invites CO.
operation and assistance to this end,
and so far as the members of the
Commission are concerned they are
pleased with and helped by the agi-
tation and discussion of their report
of last year, and feel assured that
they can rely upon the pride of the
people of the State i'll their schools
to cooperate with them in the franz
ing of school law which Will be
pattern to the States of.the Union
The attempt to defeat the lease by
fha North Torcev Strnat Railway No1,n