Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-09-15

extended to the District school system in
| that all new appointments and many pro-
| motions were distinctly confined to persons
who pass satisfactory examinations before
| the board of examiners. Such boards were
| created for both the colored schools and
| the white schools.
Fifth. The white and colored schools
| were partly delimited by the appointment
/ OF colored assistant superintendent to
have, under the direction of the super
| intendent, sole charge" of the colored
| schools. This delimitation was incomplete
| in that the two school systems were left
under the charge of one board Of education.
Sixth. The legislation was contradictory
and inconsistent in respect to the appoint
ment or continuance Of persons already in
the service of the schools, and In respect to
the relation to be sustained by the new
board of education to the District Commits
sioners.
Seventh. Two important offices. those of
assistant superintendent and Of director of
high schools, were consolidated into one.
Apparently, one person was legislated out
of Office.
| Eighth. By various acts of legislation.
compulsory education will be enforced in
| the District and Will be supported by at
tendance officers and maintained with the
additional support of juvenile court.
There were several minor features Of the
recent acts of Congress, which complica led
! the situation still more. but are not OF SUI
hcient Importance for present considerable ion.
Such was the legal situation. All ques
| lions as to what Congress should have done
| in the premises, all personalities and the
entire matter of policy would find their
| effective dispositions in these acts If the
| lawyers could decide what the acts meant
| But not only do lawyers require time for
| the preparation of opinions but the acts
| left 1t doubtful from what source the new
| board of education should expect co get its
| legal advice. This also req 1, ell time for
| adjustment.
Meanwhile. the days of summer were run
ming on, and we were approaching the tine
/ when it was absolutely necessary to open
| the schools. In consequence, many of the
decisions of the school authorizes had to
| be made. as they themselves we'll recog-
nized. before thorough nvssig ltion had
been conducted of all the facts involved. If
Congress had intended that there should re
| sonnet or policy of the school system of the
District, in the opinion of many it would
not have removed from Office the former
| board. Doing so implied distinctly all
| the results. for 1t Is a mere elementary
! principle of human nature that two entirely
different boards of education would hold
different views of school conditions and
! would act accordingly. 1t was the log cal
| the board of education should select IL
| school superintendent not at that time en-
ployed in the District. If Congress Fad
| intended the contrary, 1t seemed that it
office.
| The changes of the powers of the super
| intendent had their necessary and logical
| results. new situation was created and
| there was very important change in the
location Of the responsibility. Congress pre-
| seribed that all new appointments should
| be made upon the written Recommendation
| Of the superintendent and that his nomi-
| nations should be based upon reports Of
| the new boards Of examiners. Congress did
not prescribe whether all persons brought
| into the school system should be examined
in competition with others or absolutely
| with reference to their qualifications It
| left this matter to the option of the board
of examiners. nor did Congress determine
| his recommendations of promotion of per-
sons In the service with or without exami-
! nation by the board of examiners, but Con-
! gress did leave the origination of these
matters to the superintendent and the board
| Of examiners and not to the board of edu-
| cation The acts simply said that continu-
| ance in position should not depend upon ex-
aminatious.
| people of Washington, though have good
| reason to believe that 1t was greatly de-
| sired by many Of the teachers of Wash
| ington. The policy which the new superin-
| tendent has followed and which the board
has supported has been to examine in COM
I petition for most of the positions both can
didates inside and outside of the system.
| Because of the shortness of time II was
| not found feasible to examine all persons
in competition.
| But the superintendent OF schools is mere
~ the nominating officer. and the board of
| education has the power to confirm or re-
ject his nominations. In consequence, 1t
became necessary for him to discover
whetheror not the board of education would
accept his nominations in each particular
| instance.
| The board of education as now constf-
| tuted both by law and in fact may gener-
ally be harmonious in spirit. bur its mem
bers cannot always be in perfect agreement
/ with each other. The absence of one an
1 pointee, leaving q vacancy on the board
= las heeu one of the several III f6,.t.,r,., y,