The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1901-04-26
TEACHERS ELECTED
Few Changes in the List For
Next Year.
School Board Refuses to Raise Superin
tendent's STANDARDIZATION of
Members Relatives Discussed.

The school board held a lengthy ses-
sion Monday night and elected an entire
corps of teachers for next year with
the exception of science and special
teachers in the high school. Very
few changes were made. The teachers
who did not desire reelection, for
various reasons of their own, were
Samuel S. Endslow, the high school
science teacher; Miss Belle Dredge,
principal and seventh grade teacher in
the Pleasant Grove building; Miss
Gertrude Durkee, B first grade and A
primary teacher in the Pleasant Grove
building; Miss Cora Frankenfield
sixth grade teacher in the Union
building; and Miss Emma Kohler,
fourth grade teacher in the Franklin
building.
President Davis had sent out notices
to the members, calling them to meet
at : :15 p. m. for the purpose of hold
ing an executive session. Every men,
Der came, and the executive session
did not close until p. m.
Superintendent Turned DOwG.
The executive session was devoted to
the consideration of the merits of the
teachers and the salaries that should
be paid them. Supt. Uline presented
lengthy report in which he grouped
the teachers according to their
worth, each group having rela tive
standing, as rs to so, so to So, So to
90, etc This was intended for
guidance to the members in making
their selections for next year.
Mr.. Uline recommended that two of
the teachers be not reelected, as their
work did not come up to the proper
standard. He gave his reasons for this
recommendation very fully, and said
that he had told these two young
women what he would report to the
board in their cases.
The majority of the members of
the board proved themselves more sus-
ceptible to sympathy than to what was
recommended as being for the best in
terests of the schools. They disregard
ed the recommendations and reelected
both of the teachers. AS if to offset
this act, they dropped from the force
one lady whose retention the superin-
tendent advised.
1t appears that the two teachers and
their friends got after the members of
the board and pursuaded them to turn
down the superintendent recon-
mendations. In one case the vote
stood five to three in favor of the
teacher.
A good deal of time was taken up in
the consideration of a motion to fix the
superintendent salary at $1,700, the
same as the present year. Dr. Webster
offered an amendment raising the
amount to 81, 500 Mr. Comstock and
others favored this on account of Mr..
Uline' faithful and excellent service
but it was declared by President Davis
lost on tie vote Some of the vii
lagos of the state pay as large salary
to their superintendent as Mankato
does.
When it came to following the rule
which requires that new teachers
start at $50 month unless they have
had several years experience, the
board tore the rule up and started all
of the new teachers at $40 month,
regardless of how short time they
have taught and regardless of the fact
that it was showing preference over
all the other teachers who were started
at $50. The teachers get raise of
salary of S. a month for each year of
service up to $50, and the board did
not forget to cary out this part of the
rule. The total increase of salary of
the teachers amounts to $3.50 year.
Mrs. Edna Comstock Cook gets an
increase of salary of SO month, and
those who get an increase of So a
month are such as come under the
rule providing progressive scale of
salaries, except in the case of Misses
Sutton and O'Donnell and Prof. Roth
of the high school
Relatives of Members
The first relative of member of
the board to be voted on was Miss
Minnie Van Blarcum, and the vote
stood seven for her and one blank.
President Davis said that there was
a law that required that anyone related
to a member of school board by blood
or marriage must receive the unani-
nous vote of the board in order to be
elected a teacher He was in doubt
whether the law applied to a special
school district like this one.
Mrs Smith said that it was an I'M
just law if that was true.
President Davis agreed with MRS
Smith and said that it would be
great misfortune to have Miss Van
Blarcum dropped from the role of
teachers.
Mr.. Comstock asked what would be
the effect if one of the members were
absent.
President Davis. replied that the
board could not elect
q Mr. Comstock.... said that he. had ex-
amined the legal phase very carefully.
This. district had been incorporated
since..1S6S. by sspecial. act of. the.legisla-
ture, land had existed ever since..under
the same charter 1t is the....general