Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1905-06-02
SCHOOL
MATTERS
AGAIN
Inquiry as to How
designations Were
Procured
Teachers Removed Without
Being Given Any Chance to
Be Even Voted For


Editor Daily Capital Journal:-As
one Of the people who are sending chill
dren to school I would like to know
how the resignation Of some of our
best trained teachers was brought
about will you please explain the
way it was done in the interest Of
fair play and common justice.
ANOTHER MOTHER.
The lady should know that all Sa.
lem teachers were asked TO send in
applications to be re.employed and did
so about q month ago. The board
held a meeting Saturday evening, May
20, and all members were present in
cluding City Superintendent Traver.
At this meeting the minutes do not
show that any action on electing teach.
ers was taken, nor was any one elect
ed. There was secret meeting OF
the board, a kind of private caucus
at which the different teachers were
discussed but not for publication and
the public is not supposed TO know
what took place at that meeting. II is
not known whether the city superin-
tendent was present, and II is not sup
posed that he was present. The board
adjourned to Tuesday, May 23, when
they met at 1880 and elected teachers,
and the redgnations Of Misses Bellin.
ger, Smith, Myers, Hazard and Judd
were read and accepted. Others were
elected in their places, as their friends
on the board supposed that they were
going TO take places elsewhere, and did
not know their designations had been
procured, All that can be learned
about these designations is from the
teachers themselves, who say that
about 10 o'clock Tuesday, the day set
for electing teachers, they were served
with a written notice from the clerk
of the board, James O.. Goodale, at
their rooms whore they were teaching,
asking that they submit their resig-
nations by not later than 1880 that
evening, by order Of the board. No
reason or explanation was offered and
all they could do was to send in their
written designations. The action of
the board, II there was any action,
was taken Saturday night and they
were not notified until Tuesday and
not having time to make any showing
went out by unanimous vote Of even
those who would have voted to retain
them II they had been given a chance
to vote on them.
AS there is much local interest in
this matter, and as il is contrary to
all past practices Of the school board,
here is the official minutes taken from
the records Of the school board as
made by the clerk:
"The designations Of Grace Bellinger,
Bessie Smith, Maud Meyers, Edith
Hazard, and Caroline Judd were read
and on motion accepted -
The above is all that can be learned
about the matter. There is no criti.
cism Of the persons who were put in
the places Of these teachers. The crit.
ieism that comes to the newspapers Is
the way the designations were procured.
All the teachers removed are ladies
who stand high in the teaching profes.
sion, and against most of them there
had been little or no complaint Their
scholarship and conduct is not ques.
toned and to many parents IL seems
unnecessary changes were made in an
arbitrary manner and without giving
these ladies a fair opportunity. Some
of the board laugh and say all they
lacked was votes enough to elect them,
and other members refuse TO discuss
the subject. In the meantime it is
Iaid a number Of other teachers will
resign.
For a number Of years in the man
lgement of Salem schools there have
been no removals unless complaints
we're made by patrons of the schools.
Il is claimed that the standards es-
.ablished under City Superintendent
rraver made these changes necessary,
but 1t does not appear that he filed
my objection to these teachers. In the
Lincoln school a few Of the ladies at
me time had trouble with Principal
iOode, but as he has been removed TO
he North school that could not be as
igned as a reason for removing three
eaehers from that school practically
It no ones instance. The whole mat
er should be investigated and the real
ause of the removals assigned on 4