The Paducah sun. [volume] (Paducah, Ky.) 1898-1906, 1903-06-18
Board Of Education in Last Night
Session Exonerates the Super
intendent.
HIS REELECTION PREDICTED

uence ~ ceNentn anu washington
streets. The object was to hear the
report of the grievance committee on
the charges preferred against Superin-
tendent O. b. Hatfield and iuvestigat-
ed last week. No one was admitted,
not even the press.
Trustee jackson was absent, and the
board was in session for three hours.
There were two members of the COM
mittee in favor of sustaining q portion
Of the charges, Trustees Mattison and
Mammen. while Trustee bockmon
was in favor of generating the super
intendent Of every charge.
The majority report was as follows;
To the Board of Education:
Gentlemen: We Of your grievance
committee, to whom were referred the
charges preferred against Prof. O. b.
Hatfield, the present superintendent
of the Pducah public schools, find said
o. B. Hatfield guilty OF charge No. 1.
His own evidence convicts him Of this
charge. We also find him guilty of
charge No. 2, which was proven by
several witnesses and virtually adj
mitted by Prof. Hatfield himself, he
Offering excuses for violating rules
covering this charge. one Of which
was his predecessor failed to comply
with this rule.
We recommend that the office of SUI
perintendent of Paducah public schools
remain vacant after Superintendent
Hatfield's present term expires, until
such time as the board may have an
opportunity to secure another superin-
tendent. Respectfully submitted,
JOSEPH MATTISON,
HENRY MAMMEN, JR.
1t was urged that the committee
was not expected to make any recon-
mendations on its findings, and on re-
quest the portion relative to the ONCE
being declared vacant was stricken
out.
The two charges sustained by a ms
jority of the committee are as follows;
First. That Superintendent Hatfield
has violated latter port OF rule on page
25, Section SO Of Book of Rules, and
Regulations, referring to superinten-
dent, principals, or teachers holding
any office other than the one in which
he is placed by the school board in
fact he has held for several years past
and still holds an Office in the order
known as THE Golden Cross" which
nets him a. salary Of from $500 to 5000
per year, the amount of salary depend
ing on amount of work done.
Second. That said superinte ndent
has violated rule on page 10, Section
so. Of Book Of rules and Regulations,
in regard to visitation of rooms by sn-
perintendent. That though snid rule
has been this year changed, to suit his
convenience, so that II reads one
time in each month instead Of one
time In each week; still, he has been
too busy" to comply with same.
The various members expressed their
views of the evidence, and the major
ity report was finally vosed down by q
vote of six to five, those opposing il
being: Trustees Leake, weiile, Suth-
erland, Bockmon. winstead and
Gleaves. The other FIVE, Trustees
Mattison, Mammen. MART, Lally and
Fuller supported it.
The minority report offered by Trus
tee Bockmon completely exonerating
the superintendent was then adopted
by q reversal Of the above vote, six ia
voring 1t and five opposing IL. 1t is
stated by the members that the meet
ing was very harmonious In every res
peot. a r1
What effect this action last night
may have on the election Of super
intendent is not known, but IL is said
that Supt. Hatfield has seven votes.
Some Of the members of the board are
in favor Of postponing the election Of
superintendent, which will take place
next Tuesday night, following the
caucus of Monday, unless deferred,
the object being to get as many nppli-
cations as possible for the place.
The board now has IL arranged so
that no capable educator at distance
wants to come here and apply for the
position Of superintendent, as he must
ootna and ha axaninad hv tha locsl