Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-09-06
DELAY IN REORGANIZATION
Board Not to Meet Again Until Satur-
day, September Is.
FOUR PR1NcIpALsHIps VACANT
Supervisors Not Yet Assigned to Their
MISUNDERSTANDING Work
in Confusion.

An unprecedented condition prevails in the
local public schools. Not since the estab-
lishment of the system here have important
matters relating directly to the operation of
the educational machine been in such q
state of chaos and uncertainty. This condi-
ton is fairly forcing itself on public no
tice as the days of grace until the begin
ming of the fall term grow fewer.
With four OF the most important high
school prfncipalships still vacant, with a
large number of teachers positions untitled
with all supervising principals and all teach
ers unassigned. with the enormous labor Of
| organizing classes and arranging programs
of study in four high schools still in the flu
ture and with the legal problem of read
Justing teachers salaries. which is bound to
present endless difficulties. unsettled and
practically untouched-with all of these
circumstances staring the authorities in the
face, Superintendent Chancellor has gone
out of the city for several days, Assistant
superintendent Hughes has followed his ex-
ample and the members of the board OF
eoucatlon are not to meet again until Sat
urday, September 15-and school is to open
the following Monday.
Reasons Demanded.
Keasons for this state of affairs are de-
manded by those who are Interested in
the welfare of the schools and are eager
to see the system placed upon perfectly
sound-working basis. These persons look
with no little curiosity at the paragraph
in the decision of Controller TracewelI Of
the treasury in the Conner case. rendered
on the LIST of August last. which says, In
terpreting the new school law:
THE general purpose of the act Is evil
dent-to continue the school system as it
exists except where it is otherwise pro-
vided such as the appointment of new
n o6n
beard and certain other places created by
the act. and the appointments to which
are therein provided for" -
That everything should be upset and
teachers and officials thrown into CON
FUSION: that two days before the opening
of the school year there should be highly
important ofhces, not created" by the
new law, untitled. and the new authorities
should be securing the country for per-
sons inexperienced in local educational
work; that this was not intended by Con.
gress Is the firm opinion Of citizens Of
the District, who are today looking with
wonderment at the present situation
Why 1t ordinarily takes a high school
principal several weeks before the opening
OF school to arrange the schedule Of studies
for the year." said one of these persons TO
Star reporter today; "and under the Old
regime the work was sometimes not COM
rieted, even with this early start, until
term: What are the principals 81 the
Eastern, Mckinley. M Street and Arm
strong schools going to do with only Sun
day between the day Of their appointment
will be practically no school for days to
come. Any person acquainted at all with
eIh Sc e ma5taEAN understand thai this
Work Of Supervising Principals
What Of the organization work of the
supervising principals?" others ask. mot
one of them knows where he is 10 be
placed, because. while there has been no
definite statement-there are very few bits
of definite information to be had anywhere
in regard to the situation-that there will
be reassignment of supervising principals.
it is pretty generally understood that there
will be. owing to the knowledge that the
new superintendent has appointed two out
sders and has established precedents for
doing what he pleases. which has been to
sharpen his Ratchet and chop off heads"
1t Is impossible to find any one who thinks
that DR.. Chancellor intends making w. w.
Black, the new supervising principal whom
he has secured from Chicago, the head Of
the seventh division. where a vacancy
exists on account of the dropping of ]. r.
Keane. It is confidently expected that Mr..
Black will be given the supervising prin-
cipalship of the first division. where he
will have some prominence and be closer to
headquarters. This, at least. II 1t is true.
contemplates one change and the circum-
stances renders uncertain the entire stua-
ton in the minds of the supervising prin-
cipals.
One of these officials asked for some sta.
tionery at the Franklin building yesterday.
and when it was handed to him inquired
why the letter-head did not contain the
number of his division. as has been the GUS
tom. He was told by the clerk that the
number of his division was not known.
This was the first time his eyes had been
opened to the circumstances.
The calling together of teachers for con-
g. h4f1~ hA ornr inur nf cohN al 0on
not occur yet, and unless hurried steps
are taken the meetings usually preceding
the school work will have to be abandoned
altogether by the supervising principals.
Readjustment of Salaries.
It Is known that Former Superintendent
Stuart before he made up his mind to re-
sign, regarded the task of readjusting the
teachers salaries as Herculean, and would
have devoted a large portion of the sum-
mer vacation period to wrestling with 1t.
But this has been cast aside for the pres
ent by the new authorities. while whole
sale changes in personnel have been under
way and things have been done which. 1t
Is said, create greater confusion. The
most intricate legal questions are involved
here and they are likely. It is said, to keep
Controller Tracewell pretty busy when he
comes to consider handing over the money
for the September installment Of salaries.
And these difficulties of salary read
tuStment VIII rise chleny out or the
changes in positions in the teaching force.
The new law provides that teachers shall
be paid the salary for the class next above
the one in which they were placed under
the old regime It Is claimed that the new
act did not contemplate any changes In
positions. but these In many cases have
been made necessary by designations and
in others by mere dropping from the rolls
by the new board. What salaries are to be
paid to teachers whose class rating has
been changed. being either higher or lower,
In regarded as a pretty knotty question