Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-01-10
.FOUNOOBJECT
DisapprovaI of the GouIden, o.
colt and Foster Bills.
VIEWS OF COMMISSIONERS
Opposed to Proposed School System
Reorganization.
DECLARED TO BE DETRIMENT
Detailed Criticism Of the Measures
Sent to Chairman Babcock of the
House District Committee.
DECLARED TO BE DETRIMEN1

committee today received adverse reports
from the District Commissioners on the
bills recently introduced by Representatives
Goulden, Olcott and Foster for the reor-
ganization Of the school system of the
District and the readjustment of salaries.
Goulden Bill Analysed.
The report of the Commissioners on the
Goulden bill says that the measure pro
vides for a larger board of education.
where the wisdom of experience shown
by the tendency over the country toward
smaller boards is that good adminstra-
tive and executive board of education
should be smaller rather than larger than
the present board of seven. Boston. which
leads in many respects in public school
matters, has just reduced it's board Of edu-
cation from twenty-four members to five.
cleveland, with larger populatio than
Washington, has a board of seven. and a
change Is being made to a smaller number
elsewhere. AS, for example, in Toledo the
board Is composed of five members and the
new charter of Schenectady reduced the
number on its board from nine to three.
Moreover, the bill provides for the ap-
pointment of the board by the President of
the United States, against the tendency
to centralize instead of scatter the ap-
pointing power and other authority, so as
to centralize responsibility
The report further insists that the Com
missioners should make all municipal ap-
pointments. The Commissioners offer no
objection to the provision that the MEM
bers of the board of education shall serve
without compensation. mo one appointed
to the board Of education" they say. has
considered the question of compensation or
would be deferred from public service by
the absence of compensation.
Operation of the Present Law.
The Commissioners say that the present
law Of Congress, now only five years old,
has on the whole worked we'll and should
not be materially altered. The new bill,
they say, would also probably require a
much larger expenditure. and objection Is
made to the separation Of the school esti-
ma tes and expenditures from the other das-
bursements of the District of Columbia
The report says that the system proposed
by the Goulden bill is apparently copied
from some system adopted in jurisdiction
entirely different from the District OF Co
lumbia, and would prove complicated and
iu-adapted to local conditions. Some other
objections to the bill are that 1t provides
for matters which can be better dealt with
outside of the organic act; that 1t requires
that the superintendent Of schools shall be
a doctor Of philosophy: that the superin-
tendent is required to have had three years
experience as a superintendent of schools;
that a provision makes 1t necessary for
every principal and director now in office to
take an examination in order to be retain
ed; that the office of principal of buildings
is AUOuSnGur Iflat VD6 proposed system Is
incomplete.
Foster Bill Criticised.
On the Foster bill the same objections
are urged by the commission against the
increase In membership Of the board of
education, the appointment of the members
of the board by the President, the material
alteration of the present law. against the
separation of the public school estimates
from all other District estimates. Further
than these, the Commissioners say they see
no reason for enlarging the powers of the
superintendent of schools or Of giving him
a seat on the board of education. Other
objections to the bill mentioned by the
Commissioners are that 1t abolishes the Of
fees of assistant superintendent, supervis-
ing principals, director OF manual training
and principals of buildings; that 1t appa-
rently makes no provision for Abe per-
formance by any one or the duties OF as
sstant superintendent, and leaves the col
ored schools without head; that d.
rector of intermediate instruction replaces
the supervising principals, thus improving
the efficiency Of the system; that the bill
would make it difficult to keep good, sea-
soned teachers in the District school serv-
Ice; that the changes proposed by the bill!
are all to the disadvantage or the graded
schools; that the schedule Of salaries Is un-
satisfactory; that 1t does not provide for
salaries Of teachers of music and physi-
cal culture in the graded schools, and of
teachers of machine work in the manual
training schools.
Objections to the Olcott Bill.
The Olcott bill, according to the Commits
sioners, Is also Objectionable for most Of
the reasons mentioned in connection with
the Gouden and Foster bills. The report
says that the plan of having teachers select
the children who seem to be in need Of
medical inspection is open to criticism,
both because of the responsibility placed
upon the teacher and her supposed lack of
ability to detect symptoms Of disease.